SERIOUS ACCIDENT.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLI, Issue 9488, 12 April 1921, Page 5

SERIOUS ACCIDENT.

INJURIES TO SHUNTER. IN ASHBURTON RAILWAY YARDS A painful accident occurred m the Ashburton railway yard at 10.20 this morning, whereby Michael O'Brien, •— 38 years, railway shunter, sus- ■ tamed severe injuries to the head. Shunter O'Brien and acting-shunter A. E. Town were engaged with the Mt Somers engine m the yard near the • crane and opposite the station. The ■ engine was slowly shunting an L.A. waggon to couple with a sideless truck loaded with bush logs which overlapped at the end of the truck. O'Btien stepped m to arrange the chain coupling of this latter waggon and the approaching L.A., with a 15-ton load, * crushed his head between its angle iron and tho overlapping logs. The accident would probably not have occurred if the logs had not overlapped the end of the truck, but it would certainly: have been much more serious if the coupling of these two trucks had been made at anything but a slow pace. O'Brien was flung clear of the two trucks at Town's feet m an unconscious condition. He had sustained a fractured' skull arid severe scalp abra^ eions. Dr. C. V. Baigent was early on the scene and dressed the wounds. O'Brien was subsequently removed to tlie County Hospital m the ambulance. Inquiries at tne Hospital show' that " O'Brien's injuries .are very serious, although it may be some days before a definite pronouncement can be made on his. ease. • O'Brien a married' man with three young children, the eldest, a. boy, being nine years old. At a late- ..hour' this afternoon there was no change to report m O'Brien's : \.fj