CORONER’S COURT Commended For Bravery

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31196, 21 October 1966, Page 16

CORONER’S COURT Commended For Bravery

The action of a fireman in crawling across the ice and pulling out a small girl who had fallen

into Lake Lyndon, was commended by the Coroner (Mr A. T. Bell) as a brave and courageous act.

The Coroner found that Cindy Carol Brown, aged five, died on July 31 at Lake Lyndon, the cause of death being asphyxia from drowning.

The Coroner instructed the police to see that rescue equipment was available at Lake Lyndon during the ice skating season. Barry James Garnett Shields, a fireman attached to the Woolston station, said that on July 31 he went to Lake Lyndon to assist in running the hamburger-coffee stall. There were about 400 persons at the lake. About 100 were skating. “About 1.20 p.m., I was serving in the hamburger bar when a man asked for a rope or a ladder,” Shields said. “He said that a young girl had gone through the ice and an attempt was being made to get her out. I grabbed a rope and ladder and ran to the scene.

“I found that the hole in the ice was about 800 ft from the ear park and about 150 ft from the western shore. I stripped to my underwear. 1 went on the ice and found that it was very thin. Several men supported me with the rope. “Where the girl had gone through the ice was a hole approximately 30ft round. I saw the bulge of a green parka protruding through the water. I found it contained the body of a small girl. “By this time I was up to my neck in ice water. At this point the lake was about 50ft deep. I turned the girl over and saw that she was dead. I lifted her to the ice and with the assistance of other men, the child was taken ashore.

“During the rescue operation the ice kept breaking and it was almost impossible to get back on top of the ice. Immediately the girl was taken ashore mouth-to-mouth resuscitation was applied,” said Shields.

Constable J. P. Larmer said that he went with Dr. D. W.

Eason to Lake Lyndon. The doctor examined the girl and said that she had died about half an hour before. To the Coroner, Constable Larmer said that to his knowledge it was the first tragedy at Lake Lyndon, and he had been in the district for 16 years. He understood that the council had gone into the matter of the provision of rescue equipment. Richard Maurice Tobey, a cable factory employee, said that Cindy Brown, who was staying with his family, went to the lake with them on the Sunday. After he learned that the girl had fallen through the ice he went on the lake but could only get within about 60ft of her. When he went to rescue her be was told she had been in the water for some time and would be dead and that if he attempted to rescue her it could result in a further tragedy. STRUCK KERB Toni Mary Couttie, aged 14. was found to have died on August 11, the cause of death being shock and hemorrhage from multiple severe internal injuries suffered when the motor-scooter she was' riding struck the kerbing. Anthony Cyril Ellis, aged IS, a builder’s labourer, said that Couttie and another girl came to where he was working at Sumner on the afternoon of August 11. Coutfie asked for permission to ride his motorscooter and told him that she had a licence. lie let her have the scooter. When she did not return with the scooter he made inquiries and found that she was dead. He thought the girls were about 16 or 17. They had mentioned something about “playing the wag’’ from school. Susanne Mary Schou, a schoolgirl, said that she left home at 7.55 a.m. and went to Couttie’s home where she changed into black stretch slacks, a black skivy and a black jerkin with a leopardskin collar. She went to Taylor's Mistake with a boy for a ride on his scooter in the morning. In the afternoon Couttie asked Ellis if she could have his scooter and he agreed and she and Couttie went to Redcliffs. They got on the scooter to return to Sumner and she remembered nothing else. Couttie had ridden the scooter fairly fast on the way to Redcliffs but she did not ride it very well. Edward Henry Merrells, retired, said he was sitting in his car on the Esplanade at 3.30 p.m. when his attention was drawn to a motor-scooter which was accelerating rapidly. It was travelling east and lie thought that the throttle bad

jammed and that it was out of control.

The machine struck some storm water lying across the road and he almost lost sight of it because of the spray it threw up. It must have struck the kerb because he saw two figures thrown from it. He went over and one girl was lying in the water and the other at the base of a tree. Constable A. P. Cunningham said the accident occurred near Cave Rock. Couttie had told Ellis that she had a licence when she borrowed the scooter from him. It was thought that Couttie was riding the machine when it failed to take a bend, hit a kerb and the girls were thrown off it. Couttie was found at the foot of the tree and Schou in the water. The scooter was found to be in top gear after the accident. The girls were wearing similar clothing. Before the Coroner gave his verdict a man at the back of the Court said he was the father of the dead girl. He said that there was no evidence that his daughter had been riding the machine when the accident occurred. He said he could bring witnesses to say that she was not the rider. The Coroner said that the father had been advised of the inquest. All the evidence before him indicated that his daughter was riding the scooter. RUN OVER BY CAR Reginald McKenzie, aged 5?,. was found to have died in the Christchurch Hospital on May 17, the cause of death being bronchial pneumonia in association with respiratory failure from multiple fractures of the ribs suffered when he was run over by a car driven by Francis Tripp on May 11. Evidence was given that McKenzie was lying on a pedestrian crossing in Ferry road, near Smith street, about 12.15 a.m. on May 11 when he was run over by a car after a taxidriver had tried to flag down the approaching motorist. Witnesses were unable to tell the Coroner what had caused McKenzie to be lying on the roadway before he was run over. STRUCK BY CAR Mark Graham Poultney, aged three, was found to have died on August 4, the cause of the death being cardia respiratory failure from fractures of the skull and lacerations of the brain suffered when he ran in front of a car driven by Frederick William Bibbey, in Checkitts avenue, Halsweli. DIED AFTER OPERATION Kay Merele Hawker, aged 13. was found to have died at the Christchurch Hospital, the cause of death being acute hemorrhagic pulmonary odema due to acute bilateral pneumonia due to a virus Infection of streptoccus viridians, after her collapse after an operation. SUICIDE VERDICT John Sutherland, aged 71, was found to have committed suicide on August 16. the cause of death being injuries from a gunshot wound.