CORONER’S COURT HOME MADE ELECTRIC LAMP CAUSES DEATH

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28210, 23 February 1957, Page 6

CORONER’S COURT HOME MADE ELECTRIC LAMP CAUSES DEATH

Robert Denzil Craighead was found to have died from respiratory paralysis, secondary to an electric shock resulting from an accident at his home on January 24 at an inquest concluded before the Coroner (Mr E. B. E. Taylor) yesterday. A State Hydro-electric Department inspector (Maurice Jaffrey Hepburn) said in evidence that he had examined a bedside lamp which Craighead had used to inspect the pipework under his house, preparatory to making some proposed alterations to the house. All of the strands in the flex to the home-made lamp had not entered the terminal hole, said Hepburn, and movement of the lamp could have caused the strand outside the terminal hole to come in contact with the metal base of the lamp. A brown burn mark on the base of the lamp indicated that this had indeed happened, said Hepburn. Craighead had probably been touching the metal pipes and when he was found by his wife he was lying on damp ground. Tfie lamp had been found grasped in Craighead’s hand. Level Crossing Accident The death of Harold Irvin Stroop, aged 32 years, a United States airman, was found to h~ve

been caused by multiple injuries suffered when his motor-cycle and a train collided at a level crossing south of Templeton on December 5. In answer to questions from Mr P. T. Mahon, who appeared for the Railways Department, the driver of the train involved in the collision (John Liddle Wylie) said that he had noticed a group of three motor-cyclists riding on the road parallel to the track near the level crossing. He had blowh his whistle well before the train reached the crossing. When he noticed that two of the riders had halted their machines but another had continued towards the crossing at speed he blew the whistle again. He thought that the motor-cycle had been struck by one of the buffers of the engine. Other Verdicts John Anderson, aged 45, was found to have committed suicide on December 12, death being due to a self-inflicted gun-shot wound. Trixie Miro Grimmer, aged 55, was found to have died as the result of accidental drowning on January 25. Mrs Pauline Mary Masson gave evidence of discovering Mrs Grimmer’s body in the sea at New Brighton. Mr B. McClelland appeared for Mr A. A. Grimmer. «