KILLED BY DUMP

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 723, 26 December 1933, Page 2

KILLED BY DUMP

TALLY CLERK CRUSHED AND FATALLY INJURED. - Hastings, Monday. The coroner (Mr. A. E. Bedford), who presided over the inqnest in Napier on Saturday into the death; of Arthur Trenwith Creagh, a tally clerk who was killed on Glasgow Wharf on Friday morning, returned a verdict that death was due to haemorrhagc arising from his injufies. No blame w'as attachahle to anyone worlcing with him. Mr. Creagh was ahout to check some brandings on wool bales when a dump fell on him, crushing his chest and head. iMr. H. B. Lusk appeared for G. Scales, Ltd., owner of the Benreoch, the iboat being loaded at the time of the accident,' Mr. M. R. Grant for the Napier Harbour Board, and Mr. A. E. Lawry for the insurers of the Scales Line. Dr. W. D. Fitzgerald said that when he examined the body he found the head sverely bruised over the right temple, and the right thigh was fractured. There was a crushing injury to the chest which had fractured several of the ribs at the upper part of the right side of the chest These iujuries caused internal taemorrhage in the right side of the chest, and were the cause of death. Walker Under Dump. A fireman-shunter named F orman, employed by the Napier Harbour Board, described the manner in which the trucks were being loaded. No gear, winches or tackle of any kind was used, the men using bag hooks to unload the dumps. Mr. Creagh was tallying the wool dumps. He seemed uncertain as to the brands and went towards the truck with the intention of ascertaining what brands there were. To do so he had to pass hetween the unloaded dumps and th'e side of the truck on which two men named Howe and Guthrie were working. As Mr. Creagh approached the truck, F orman continued, Howe and Guthrie were in the act of pushing one of the dumps on the top tier, the dumps being in two tiers on that side. It was apparent that the deceased was intent upon reaching, the dumps at the far end of the truck and was not noticing the danger he was in. Witness called out, "Look out for the man underneath," but too late, as the dump had already begun to fall. It fell on top of Mr. Creagh and pinned him. to the wharf. Mf. Creagh did not give the men on the truck any warning of his coming and they were unable to see him. The evidence of another waterside worker, J. Howe, was similar to that of Forman. The coroner said that it was perfeotly clear that the deceased was concentrating upon his job, and was not aware of the danger he ran. There could be only one conclusion — that Mr. Creagh died from haemorrhage resulting from injuries received at the Glasgow Wharf, Napier. There could be no blame attachahle to any person working with him.