HEAD STRUCK BY BRIDGE

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26398, 17 April 1951, Page 4

HEAD STRUCK BY BRIDGE

BOY LEANING OUT OF TRAIN WINDOW

CORONER’S VERDICT AT INQUEST

The death of Murray Gavin Reg, aged 14,. on November 26, 1950, was caused by a penetrating wound to the brain suffered through accidental contact with a piece of wood at the northern end of the Waimakariri railway bridge. This verdict was returned by the Coroner (Mr Rex C. Abernethy) yesterday, when the inquest into Rea’s death was concluded. Rea was on the way hojne from the St. Mary’s parish combined schools’ picnic at Rangiora on November 25. Alan Michael Joseph Wills, a pupil at St. Mary’s primary school, said that, on the return journey from Rangiora, he was sitting in the rear compartment of a birdcage carriage. Just before the train reachSH the Waimakariri bridge he was looking out of the window to the front of the train. He saw another boy, whom he recognised as Murray Rea, looking out of the window from the third compartment of the same carriage, Rea’s body was inclined from the hips, and he was looking below him in the direction of the ground. Witness said he called out as loud as possible to Rea to pull his head in. At this juncture the carriage was almost on the bridge. Rea appeared to turn, his head towards him, witness said. His head and body then slumped across the window sill. Witness informed the other boys in his compartment of what, had happened, and they went to the other compartment. just before Rea was pulled in the window he noticed , some blood drin from his head.

Harold John Cooper, guard on the train, said that soon after the train had left Rangiora, he noticed that the genera] conduct of passengers was good. The dav was hot, and the windows of the train were open. As he walked through the door of a compartment of the sixth carriage, he saw a bov leaning out of the window. He warped the boy, and told him to sit down and behave himself. Witness said he carried on checking the train, and it had just passed over the Waimakariri bridge, when he was told that there had been an accident further back in the train. He was taken back to the same compartment where he had cautioned the boy. On arrival he saw a boy lying full length on the floor. He made an emergency stop of the train at Belfast railway station, and arranged with the officer in charge there to call an ambulance, and a doctor to meet the train at Papanui. The train arrived at Papanui at 5.36 p.m., and the boy was taken by ambulance to the Christchurch Public Hospital. To Mr P. T. Mahon, who appeared for the Railways Department, witness said there was a sign in each compartment warning passengers against leaning out of the windows. Constable William George Irving said on November 27, 1950, he examined the superstructure of the northern erd of ths Waimakariri bridge On the left hand superstructure or top beam he found a small piece of the structure missing. The piece of timber missing was about three-quarters of an inch wide, and about one and a half incnes long. Adhering to the edges from which the piece of wood was missing were nine human hairs. On examination o" the window out of which Rea wrs leaning he found traces of blood. Dr. lan Donald GebHe said that Murray Rea was admitted to the Christchurr-h Public Hospital on November 25. He was unconscious, and had a niece of wood entering the skull on the top of the head. There were no other injuries. Oh operating he found that the piece of wood had fractured the skull driving the bon® inward. The wood was removed, and, the bone also. The patient did not rally i after the operation, and he formed the roneb sion that Rea had severe damage deen in the brain. He died early the following morning,