ACCIDENT AT AWAHOU

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 4, 27 August 1931, Page 2

ACCIDENT AT AWAHOU

BOYS' SHAM FIGHT VERY NEARLY BECOMES TRAGEDY. LOADED GUN DISCHARGED. Yesterday afternoon, while playing on the side of the road with another lad about his own age, Sydney Maxwell, 13 year old son of Mr. George Maxwell, of Awaho, had his right leg shattered below the knee by the aceidental discharge of a shot gun with which the two boys were playing. Apparently the two lads were staging a sham fight and by some means had become possessed of a doublebarrelled shot gun. « Utnknown to either of them, one harrel of the gun was loaded, and when the secnd lad discharged the piece, young Maxwell received the charge at almost point blank range, Although he suffered a severe and painful injury, the consequences might have been fatal had the gun been pointed at the boy's body instead of his leg. Fortunately, the sound of the shot attracted the attention of the boy's aunt, who was in the vicinity, and he was earried into a whare where a passer-by, Mr. W. Henderson, rendered first aid. An ambulance was dispatched from Rotorua and Dr. Wallis, who had also been summoned, met and attended the boy at Fairy Springs. He was subsequently removed to King Street Hospital, where he underwent an operation. The hospital reported last evening that the leg was badly shattered but that the patient's condition was regarded as satisfactory.