BOY KILLED

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 130, 25 January 1932, Page 5

BOY KILLED

dragged by horse distressing fatality on reporoa farm ARM TANGLED IN ROPE

Dra^ged for a distance of over eight chains by a bolting horse, a 15 year old schoolboy named Thomas Meikle, received very severe injuries on Sattirday morning, and died while being brought from his uncle's farm at Reporoa, where the accident oeciirred, to King George V. Hospital at Rotorua. The lad, who was visiting his father, Mr. George Meikle,* of Reporoa, went out on his uncle's farm about 11.30 o'clock on Saturday morning in order td catch the horse which he intended td ride into the settlement about four miles away. The boy had just secured the horse with a halter when apparently the animal took fright and bolted. The rope beeame tangled around the lad's left arm and he was dragged at the heels of the terrified animal for the length of a paddock. When he was picked up the boy was unconscious. He was immediately hurried into Rotorua by car but never regained consciousness and the doctors could only prondunce life extinct when he arrived at the hospital. Witnessed by Father A distressing feature of the fatality was that the accident was witnessed by the boy's father, who was working in an adjoining paddock and was powerless to check the terrified aiiimal until the harm had been done. The horse had always been quiet ahd it is not known what caused it to take fright. When young Meikle was picked up, the free end of the halter was tangled tightly round his left arm and it is surmised that the jerk of the horse's movement dragged him from his feet before he had time to free himself. The boy had been residing with his mother in Auckland but was spending portion of his holidays with his father on the farm of his uncle, Mr. W. W. Meikle, of Reporoa. A coroner's inquest into the fatality will probably be opened at Rotorua this morning.