COMPENSATION COURT

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28702, 27 September 1958, Page 17

COMPENSATION COURT

Miner Awarded £612 Defending a claim for workers’ compensation in the Compensation Court yesterday the AttorneyGeneral (Mr G. W. Matthewson) alleged that injuries suffered by a Greymouth mine worker might have been splf-inflicted. Ron Clay, a shiftman at the Strongman State Coal Mine (Mr W. D. Taylor), sought compensation for the loss of two fingers which he claimed was caused when an axe caught in his clothing while he was splitting timber. He claimed that he was totally in-

capacitated by the injuries and that he was entitled to compensation amounting to £612 17s sd.

Mr Matthewson submitted that the l evidence threw a grave doubt on the veracity of the plaintiff, but the Crown could not prove beyond reasonable doubt that Clay had chopped his fingers off intentionally, although this seemed more likely than his description of how the injuries were caused. Mr said that the whole of the circumstances were against the view that the injuries were self-inflicted.

Giving judgment for Clay for the amount claimed Judge Archer said that the case was an unpleasant one with some peculiar features but the Crown had not proved that the injuries were not caused as the result of an accident.