CHILD DROWNED AT ASHBURTON

Press, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 26854, 6 October 1952, Page 6

CHILD DROWNED AT ASHBURTON

FALL INTO WATER RACE Jennifer Lorraine Hooper, aged 1 year 11 months, a daughter of Mr and Mrs R. H- Hooper, of Racecourse road, Ashburton, was drowned at the home of her parents yesterday morning. The child fell into a water race which runs alongside the house She was' found later by her father .in a concrete culvert. The eulvert had to be broken open to recover the body. An inquest was held before fee District Coroner (Mr E, C. Bathurst) last evening. He returned a verdict of accidental drowning. Richard Henry Hooper, father of the child, said he had been working in th© garage in front of his home. He had gone inside the house and had seen nis> daughter standing on the front lawn When his two elder children said a few moments later that they could not find the child, he thought she might have fallen into the race. He pugged a wire down the pipe through which the water was running and it struck an object about 20 feet down. While others dammed the race he dug out the pipe, smashed it. open and recovered the body.

Artificial respiration was applied without success, and on his arrival a few minutes later, Dr. W. G. Todd found that she was dead. Mr Hooper said he thought the child had run round the corner of fee house and had slipped into the race.