CASUALTIES.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 13397, 14 April 1909, Page 7

CASUALTIES.

FATALITY TO A JOCKEY. An inquest touching the death of William O'Connell, who died at the Hospital yesterday as the result of injuries received whilst riding the horse Stronghold in the Kildare Hurdles at the Canterbury Jockey Club's Autumn Meeting at Riccart-n on Monday, waa -, held! before Mr H. W. Bishop, coroner, j last night. Edw*d Sooullar. the rider of Snip, j stated that O'Connell was riding t Stronghold;" the other horses in the j race Southern Cross and Eurus. All went well until the last hurdle, j at which point Stronghold was loading j by about three-quarters of a length. ■ Stronghold did not rise at th© fence, but went straight through. Stronghold j fell in front of witness's horse and j rolled over O'Connell. horse j struck Stronghold and fell, and also I rolled over deceased. O'Connell was an j experienced jockey. The reason why ! Stronghold did not rise to the hurdle j was, in witness's opinion, that the j horse seemed 1 to be tiring. He was '-. perfectly satisfied that the occurrence | was accidental, and could not have ' been avoided. The hurdles were the same es usual, and as advertised. Edward Redmond, the rider of Southern Cross, gave similar evidence. Dr. C. L. Nedwill stated that as one i of the honorary staff at the Hospital, ; h© was in charge on Monday, but did • not se© 'O'Connell till sometime after j 5 p.m. O'Connell was then unconscious I and was showing signs of cerebral compression. No operatioh was possible to relieve the man's condition, as he showed signs of hemorrhage having taken place in the centre of the brain; the hemorrhage was much too extensive to permit of an operation. O'Connell remained unconscious till his death at--5 a.ra. yeuterday. Witness was present at tbe post mortem examination. The brain "was found much contused, and there was extensive hemorrhage within and without the brain substance, which was the cause of death. The Coroner returned a vqrdict that" deceased had been accidentally killed' by being thrown from the horse Stronghold.

Mr Kenneth Mcintosh, of Kaiapoi, while disc-ploughing on . Monday with a four-horse team, met with! what threatened to be a most serious accident. At an opening in a fence one of the young horses attempted to go through, but was blocked by an older animal, and in the confusion caused to the learn Mr Mcintosh received a kick on th© lower part of his face. He was also forced down on the plough, with his back on one of the discs, and a horse's hoof came down on his stomach. He was able to extricate himself in .avery much bruined condition. One or the horses, which hit its foot on one of the discs, received a severe flesh wound. A young man named Penwell. who left his_ home on the North road near Kaiapoi with his bicycle and a dog, met with a mishap, supposed to be caused by the dog petting in front of the bicycle. The animal returned home lame, and soon afterwards two men brought in the young man in an unconscious, state. He was found lying near his bicycle.