LABOURER'S DEATH.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19986, 22 July 1930, Page 7

LABOURER'S DEATH.

INQUEST CONCLUDED. The adjourned inquest into, the death of Matthew O'Donnell, a labourer, who dted in the Christchurcfa Hospital on JPutte 24th, was resumed yesterday before Mr E. D. Mosley, Coroner, when a verdict was returned that O'Donnell died as a result of cerebral tumour. O'Donnell had boen. admitted to the Hospital through having had his left • arm cut off in a chaff-cutter. Dr. E. F. Thomson, pathologist at the C'hristchurch Public Hospital, titutud mat tne amputation of the arm wouut nave nati uotjinig to do witn s cieath. ~in witness's opinion ueutn was uue to oereoial tumour, lite tumour wouid make mm iiaoio to uunt.ug turns. itouerl i>enjamm Giles, engmeduver, stateu uiat he was wording with' U'Oonneil on a cliaffcutter on the uay of the accident. O'fonneli was leediug the cutter. Witness turned Ins back on O'Donnell for a moment and the next thing he knew O'JJoneil's lett arm was in the cutter and he was lying right over the feod-box. Witness put the safety lever in reverse and stopped the engine. He saw that O'Donneli's left arm was cut off near the elbow.' The time was about 10.20 a.m. O'Donnell was conveyed to the Hospital but did not say how the accident had occurred. O'Donnell badbeen complaining since November last about pains in his head. Witness had never seen him faint. O'Donnell had

complained on the morning of the acoideiit about shooting pains in the head. CroHs-examined by Mr R. A. Cuthbert, who appeared for Mr Bowman, O'Donneli's employer, witness stated that O'Donnell was an experienced and capable feeder. He had been in similar work for the past 12 years. In witness's opinion, O'Donnell could have shut off the machine by the pressure of his shoulder. It seemed that O'Donnell had taken a bad - turn and fainted into the machine. The reverse lever was easily operated. ! "It seems from the evidence of the doctor, who conducted a post mortem, that although O'Donnell had met with an accident in a chaffeutter, (hat. really had very little influence on his death," snid Mr Mosley. "He died of cerebral i;; moiir. He had evidently been suffering from the effect of this tumour for some months. No doubt the suffering became acute at the time when he was feeding the cutter —so acute that it may have resulted in his having a fit, causing him tr> fall over the cutter. I find that O'Donneli's death was due to oerebral tumour.''