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£4967 Claimed By Grain Stacker

The hearing of a claim for £4967 damages for injuries suffered by a man working with a grain elevator began before a Supreme Court jury yesterday. Leendart Van Der Meer, aged 39, of Corsair Bay, claims £4500 general damages and £467 5s 4d special damages from the Lyttelton Harbour Board for injuries suffered in an accident with a grain elevator in the board’s store on February 25, 1963. Mr R. G. Blunt and Mr A. A. P. Willy appeared for Van Der Meer- and Mr R. P. Thompson and Mr C. B. Atkinson for the board. Mr Blunt said Van Der Meer’s job was to carry 1661 b sacks of barley on his shoulders from the elevator and dump them on the top of the stack, where he was standing. A bag caught in the elevator chain, and Van Der Meer was jarred and jerked backwards, so that a disc in his neck was displaced. Mr Blunt said he submitted that the accident was caused by the ancient and obsolete elevator, lapse chains, and the lack of a safety bar which would have steadied the sack Van Der Meer was off wort for 46 weeks, and could now work only as a caretaker al lower wages than he pre viously earned. He still suf fered pain, and could not add a room to the house he buill for himself before the acci dent. He would always have to do lighter work at less pay.

Plaintiff’s Evidence Van Der Meer said in evidence that metal battens had since been put on the elevator to steady the chain, replacing the previous wooden ones. The bag he was carrying was caught because the chain was too loose, and there were no tools available to tighten it. He said he had complained to his foreman about the condition of the elevator and had said that it was too old. Another man had also complained. To Mr Thompson, Van Der Meer said he often complained about the elevator. The last time was three weeks before the accident, when two other men were present. He told his foreman that the elevator was not safe, but nothing was done. Van Der Meer said he had

' often been pushed and shoved , by the battens when getting , ; bags off the elevator. i Asked why he thought the j foreman did nothing about it, ] Van Der Meer said the fore- , man said that the machines , , were too old. He also com- j > plained about the sides of ; . the elevator obstructing the i view of the bags coming up. ’ He complained to the fore- ; 1 man about the fact that there > were no tools to tighten the chains, but no tools were pro- • duced. “The only tool was a 1 4in nail,” Van Der Meer said. He complained about his ■ shoulder to the foreman after the accident, and told the ' foreman it was about time the > elevator was dumped. Maxwell Morris Melrose, I also a grain stacker at the 5 time of the accident, gave ■ corroborative evidence that • Van Der Meer was jarred. r The hearing will continue - today.

Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19650401.2.115

Bibliographic details

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30714, 1 April 1965, Page 9

Word Count
523

£4967 Claimed By Grain Stacker Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30714, 1 April 1965, Page 9

£4967 Claimed By Grain Stacker Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30714, 1 April 1965, Page 9

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