CORONER’S COURT YOUTH DROWNED IN FLOODED RIVER

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33093, 7 December 1972, Page 10

CORONER’S COURT YOUTH DROWNED IN FLOODED RIVER

A youth who drowned while attempting to cross a flooded river in Lees Valley in October was a member of an insufficiently experienced party for the undertaking, the Christchurch district Coroner (Mr E. B. E. Taylor) was told yesterday when concluding the inquest into his death. The Coroner found that the youth, Dominicus Savio Joseph Peters, aged 13, died in the Milton Stream, Lees Valley, on October 8. The cause of death was asphyxia caused by drowning. Sergeant Terence Noel French said in evidence that the body of Savia Peters was recovered from an island in the Townshend River below the Shifton Stream junction on October 9. “The condition of the river was such that it had to be crossed with extreme caution . . . shingle under foot kept washing away. Signs of debris on the river banks indicated that the river had dropped more than 2ft. “From all accounts, the group was not experienced enough to cross the river/* he said. Peter Francis Gaul, aged 16, a pupil at Xavier College, said that he was the team leader of a group from the college Outdoor Club which went into Lees Valley on October 6. The other members of the group were Kevin Currie, aged 14, Kevin Towart. 12, Dennis Price, 14, Peter Unwin. 13, and Savio Peters. He said that on October 7 the party went up the Shifton Stream. Progress was slow. It was foggy but not cold or windy. “It was drizzling continuously, but the weather was not too bad. We stopped for the night about half a mile in the bush at the top of Shifton Stream. At the time I thought we were in Mannering Stream, but after starting out on the morning of October 8, we realised where we were. All of us were wet, and spirits were generally good. Some of the group were a bit : tired, but not suffering from fatigue.” He said they travelled down the Shifton Stream and about 12.30 p.m. found a suitable place to cross at the Milton Stream turn-off. He went in alone with his full pack to test the water level and the current. It came to mid-thigh height and he crossed. *T took my pack off and came back in much the same manner.

The current was such that one could not stand stiU but had to keep moving. On returning to the group I got a suitable piece of timber for a crossing pole. I tested it and found that it was solid. “I then briefed the blokes on what to do as I did not think that they had done this type of river crossing before ... As I was the largest member I went In the upstream position. Peter Unwin, who was fairly small, was next to me, and Savio Peters, who was a fairly big person, was on the other end of the pole. As Peter Unwin was tired we were going to assist him across. “When using the pole we had our arms linked, and held on to the pole directly in front of us. The river would have been about 15 yards wide. “We set off into the water and I told them to keep side on to the current and to travel across and down with the current. “We were about a quarter of the way across when I saw Savio drifting away from the pole. At this stage Peter Unwin got pannicky and I yelled at him to hold on to me and keep moving across and I got him across safely.” He said that no-one in the party, on either side of the stream, saw Savio or his pack again. Kevin Patrick Currie said he saw Savio Peters slip and let go of the pole during the crossing. He was swept downstream and was out of sight around the corner within seconds. “The river at the point where Savio disappeared was pretty swift, steep and mucky. After Savio had gone I tried to cross the river, but got swept downstream about six feet before Dennis Price grabbed me,” he said. CAR STRUCK POLE Jack Byron, aged 16, died at Christchurch on October 2. The cause of death was fat embolism and broncho-pneumonia which developed from injuries suffered in a motor accident. He was the driver of a car which struck a pole in Beach--1 ville Road, Redcliffs. about 9.40 p.m. on September 30. Malcolm McLeod, a senior vehicle inspector for the Ministry of Transport, said the car driven by Mr Byron had bald tyres and defective brakes. It was a “mobile death trap” for those in it. and a “hazard” for other road users. MOTORCYCLIST’S DEATH Stephen Ellis Dawson, aged 20, a student at Lincoln College, was

found to have died on Springs Road, Prebbleton, on September 16. The cause of death was multiple injuries suffered when the motor-cycle he was riding struck a pole that day. Mr McLeod said that a full application of the motor-cycle hand brake had no effect. “There is a possibility that the faulty hand brake coupled with the excessive travel at the foot brake pedal, could have been a contributing cause of the accident,” he said. PEDESTRIAN’S DEATH Eric Ching, aged 48, died at Christchurch Hospital on July 4. The cause of death was multiple Injuries suffered when he was struck by a car driven by Gary Robert Graham, aged 21, a salesman. while he was crossing the Main North Road at Belfast on June 29. Graham was convicted and fined $l5O in the Magistrate's Court at Christchurch on a charge of falling to stop after an accident involving injury. ELECTRIC SHOCK Jeffrey Trevor Wadsworth, aged 17. an apprentice electrician, died at 308 Blenheim Road, on September 23 The cause of death was electric shock suffered when he was attempting to connect a caravan lead to an electric power supply in the Amber Park Motor Camp. INTERSECTION ACCIDENT Warwick James Smith, aged 21, died at Broadfields on June 20. The cause of death was multiple injuries suffered when the utility vehicle he was driving and another vehicle collided Son the Intersection of Waterholes Road and the RollestonSpringston Road that day. DROWNING Menno WUhemus Maria Willems, aged four, was found to have died in the sea off Birdlings Flat on May 7. The probable cause of death was drowning. SUMNER DEATH Janet Bigelow, aged 20, died at Whitewash Head, Sumner, on or about October 10. The cause of death was a ruptured aorta. SUICIDE Jennifer Margaret King, aged 33. a married woman died at Christchurch on September 29. having committed suicide. The cause of death was barbiturate poisoning. John Robert Gibson, aged 53, died at Christchurch on October 11, having committed suicide. The cause of death was asphyxia caused by hanging.