Freak mishap kills boy

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34097, 8 March 1976, Page 1

Freak mishap kills boy

A Christchurch boy died after he was hit on the head by a falling stone, on the bank of the

Hurunui River, about 60 miles north of Christchurch, on Saturday afternoon.

He was Victor William Harris, aged 13. of 386 Linwood Avenue.

The freak accident occurred about 2.30 p.m. while the boy was on an opossum-hunting expedition with three companions He remained on a rock ledge a few feet above the water while the other three boys climbed a steep, bushclad cliff near the mouth of the river.

A rock hurtled down through the undergrowth and struck Victor on the head, knocking him into the water. He was dragged from the river about 60ft downstream by one of his companions. Graeme Dally, aged 14, and given mouth-to-mouth resuscitation without success.

Two of the boys ran to nearby holiday cabins for help, and the police and an ambulance rushed to the scene. St John ambulancemen tried for 45 minutes to revive the boy with a resuscitator.

An inquest into the death was opened at Cheviot yesterday, said the Waikari policeman. Constable G. N. Gear. It was not known whether Victor had been alive when he was knocked into the river, or whether he had died from drowning, Constable Gear said.