Soldier died of exposure after fall on mountain

Press, 21 June 1984, Page 4

Soldier died of exposure after fall on mountain

Bad weather prevented the body of a soldier who fell on Mount Rolleston in January from being recovered for three days, the Coroner’s Court in Christchurch has been told.

The Coroner, Mr A. N. Mac Lean, found that Robin Ngaira, aged 26, of Papakura Military Camp, died of exposure after falling on Mount Rolleston while on a climbing expedition on January 25. Corporal Ngaira’s body was not recovered until January 28, after wind and rain had prevented a helicopter flying into the area, said Constable J. J. Rivett, of Otira, in evidence. A search team had been sent into the area on foot the morning after the soldier’s fall, he said. The search was unsuccessful and was stopped at dark. The search team was prevented from returning the next day because of the weather. A team of four was flown to the base of the snow shute, down which the soldier had fallen, on January 28 and walked to the area. Corporal Ngaira’s body was found in a hole under a waterfall at 12.52 p.m. lan Kossuth Newman, aged 30, a soldier, gave evidence that he was in command of the climbing party of soldiers on January 25. He was Climbing to a flat area of snow, below Rome Gap on Mount Rolleston, where a group of soldiers had already gathered, when he saw Corporal Ngaira rolling down a snow shute.

His fall caused two small avalanches, the debris from which followed him down the shute.

The rest of the party searched unsuccessfully for Corporal Ngaira and also tried, unsuccessfully, to radio for help. The search was abandoned and the soldiers made camp at the Bealey Slide. Three walked out for help the next morning.

Gavin John Read, aged 26, and Murray John Staples, aged 25, both soldiers, said they were near Corporal Ngaira when he fell. He just seemed to slip and could not stop himself sliding. Stephen Peter Lassache, a park assistant at Arthur’s Pass National Park, said he found Corporal Ngaira’s body in a hole below the second waterfall in the area on January 28. Corporal Ngaira did not appear to have moved after falling into the hole. There had been no attempt to get survival gear from the kit he was carrying. Mr Lassache had been unable to lift the body out and more men and equipment had been needed.

The body was removed about 4 p.m. and taken to Bealey Slide where it was picked up by helicopter about 6 p.m., Constable Rivett said. SURGERY COMPLICATIONS

Arthur Stanley Cordell,

aged 73, died of septicaemia associated with complications from surgery, the Coroner found. Mr Cordell had been admitted to Christchurch Hospital on March 23 for a right carotid endarterectomy for critically balanced cerebral circulation, said the hospital’s neurosurgeon, Martin Richard MacFarlane.

He had suffered blackouts and surgery was judged necessary, Mr MacFarlane said. Mr Cordell had awoken from the anaesthetic and was neurologically intact and alert.

The next morning he was transferred to intravenous haemaccel but after a 50ml to 100 ml dose began to vomit and complain of pains and developed rigours. He was taken off the Haemaccel and developed a haematoma from his neck wound. He was given antibiotics in case of an intravenous infection and blood and urine samples were taken. He was taken to the operating theatre to close the neck wound and then went to intensive care. His condition deteriorated and he developed a disseminated intravascular coagulation. He died on March 25 at 6.40 a.m.

Cultures were taken of Mr Cordell’s blood when his condition worsened and from the Haemaccel because the hospital’s haemotologist suggested Mr Cordell’s reaction may have been caused by contaminated intravenous solution.

The blood cultures grew enterobacter species and staphlococcus aureus as did the cultures from the giving set of Haemaccel. The two were similar but not identical, said Mr MacFarlane. The cause of death was given as septicaemia, associated complications from recent surgery, and gross generalised atherosclerosis.

In answer to a question from Mr Cordell’s family lawyer, Ms J. M. Lawry, Mr MacFarlane said he believed the septicaemia was highly likely to have been caused by the Haemaccel. The evidence suggested that the bottle of Haemaccel was contaminated, he said. Mr Cordell had been treated with antibiotics in case of infection but it had not made any difference. The Haemaccel had been correctly given to the patient. It was a synthetic material widely used to build up blood volume. It had an expiry date of five years.

The Canterbury Hospital Board had stopped all use of Maemaccel while it checked all its stock of the material. All bottles checked had proved sterile.

Mr Cordell had been a “reasonable risk” for such an operation, said Mr MacFarlane. Ann Fullerton Crawford, a representative of Hoechst, the company which produces Haemaccel, said the batch of Haemaccel used was either a 1982 or 1983

batch. It was impossible to say how the bottle became contaminated. Each batch was quality-controlled. The control samples for the batches possibly used had been retested and found sterile in Germany. Other countries had received the same batches and there had been no reported complaint. There could have been contamination in the giving set, from which the samples had been taken, she said.

There had been no changes in the manufacture of Haemaccel after Mr Cordell’s death. The intention of the hearing was not to find fault but to establish cause of death, the Coroner said. FALL OVERBOARD

A Russian seaman who fell from his ship near the Auckland Islands drowned, the Coroner found.

Pavel Udovich, aged 49, of the ship Dolomit fell from the deck of the vessel on May 15. He was working on deck checking a winch and echo-sounder at the time.

The ship’s master, Mikael Pertosovsky, said he had been told of the seaman’s disappearance at 2.40 p.m. The lifeboat had been launched at 2.43 p.m. and the man found at 2.50 p.m. He had been brought aboard the ship at 3.20 p.m. and resuscitation attempted by the ship’s doctor. It was unsuccessful.

Victor Pronin, who shared a cabin with Mr Udovich, said he had been in good spirits on the day he died although he had had a nose bleed and headaches. Mr Udovich had been a seaman for about 20 years. PEDESTRIAN HIT A woman, aged 80, died of multiple injuries suffered when she was struck by a car on April 28 at the corner of Papanui Road and Blighs Road. Edna Finn, of Reg Adams Courts, 445 Papanui Road, was attempting to cross Papanui Road when she was hit by a car driven by Timothy John Fogarty, aged 17, of St Andrews Square. The accident occured at 6.25 p.m. It was raining heavily and dark, said Constable M. R. Fitzsimmons. Mrs Finn had been walking with a stick, she was hesitant, and could not see very well, he said. She died at the scene.

Clarence Victor Jones gave evidence that his car was following Mr Fogarty’s north on Papanui Road. He said he had seen a figure on the roadway and had thought the car in front would hit the person. It had been a “darker-than-usual” evening and the intersection was not well lit, said Mr Jones. The figure had been walking slowly. Mr Fogarty said that he did not see the woman until his car hit her, because it was raining and dark. Joyce Burrell said she was waiting in her car on the east side of Papanui Road for Mrs Finn. She had

seen her begin to walk straight across the roadway, which seemed clear. Witness had looked away and heard a thud. STAIRWAY FALL

Multiple injuries suffered by Alix Ella Campbell, aged 70, of Balclutha, when she fell from a stairway at her brother’s home in ’ Akaroa caused her death, the Coroner found.

Joyce Merrilies Gray, of 42 Selwyn Street, Akaroa, said that her sister-in-law had fallen from an unfinished stairway on to asphalt.

Constable G. V. Williamson, of Akaroa, said Mrs Campbell had suffered severe head injuries. She had been taken by the Akaroa rescue vehicle to Little River where the vehicle was met by an ambulance. She was found to be dead by the time the vehicle reached Little River. DUAL FATALITY A girl, aged 16, died of severe head injuries suffered in a car accident in which her mother also died. The Coroner found that Barbara Kay Scott, aged 40, of 15 Fatima Street, died of multiple injuries suffered when her car was hit by another on May 21, 1983. Her daughter, Carol Jane Brenssell, also of Fatima Street, died the next day from injuries.

Constable M. R. Fitzsimmons said that Mrs Scott had been driving south on Fitzgerald Avenue. lan Gordon Carter was travelling north on the opposite side of the road, at 80 km/h at least. His car had gone out of control, hit the median strip, flown into the air, and struck Mrs Scott’s car in the windscreen, the Coroner was told. The front roof area was ripped away.

Mrs Scott died at the scene.

Dr Richard Cranswick said Carol Brenssell had been admitted to Christchurch Hospital on May 21. She had been judged braindead the next day and artificial ventilation was stopped. The driver of the other car had been charged with causing death through careless driving and excess speed but the charges had been dismissed as not proved, Constable Fitzsimmons said. RUN OVER

Elaine Elizabeth Greenslade, aged 42, of 81 Matai Street, was struck by one car and run over by a second on Riccarton Road on April 29, the Court heard. Mrs Greenslade died of severe head injuries suffered in the accident, the Coroner found. Michael David Langford, aged 21, of Fendalton Road, said he had been driving on Riccarton Road. His view was obscured by a number of parked cars. He suddenly saw legs and felt an impact. A body w’as flung over the bonnet of his car and shattered the windscreen.

He stopped and got out to

see another car hit the person lying in the road and drag the body another 25m along the surface. John Elliot Grange, of Dunedin, said he was driving on Riccarton Road when he saw a group of people waving at him to stop. He slowed down and saw something in the roadway but could not stop. He felt a thump as his car ran over the object.

He got out of his car and discovered he had run over a person. The evening was dark and rain was falling, he said. Constable M. W. E. Smith, of Christchurch, said Mrs Greenslade had been walking diagonally across the road from her car to a fish and chip shop. She was hit only a few steps from her car, first by Mr Langford’s vehicle and then by Mr Grange’s. Patrick Timothy O’Gorman said he had been driving on Riccarton Road near Bartlett Street when he saw a car, travelling in the opposite direction, hit a pedestrian. He stopped his car and tried to stop oncoming traffic but was unable to do so.

The night was dark and it was raining. The street lighting was not good, Constable Smith said. No blame could be attached to either driver, the Coroner said. FATAL ACCIDENT

Brent James Millichamp, aged 16, of McMurdo Street, Ashburton, died of severe head injuries when a car driven by another person rolled over and hit a bank, the Coroner found. The accident occurred on State highway 1 near Dunsandel on November 28, 1983, said Constable Smith. The car went out of control, crossed the road, and ran into a bank, he said. Mr Millichamp was in the front passenger seat and died of injuries at the scene.

The driver had been charged and had pleaded guilty to causing death through careless driving. He had been fined $240 and disqualified from driving for nine months, Constable Smith said. DROWNING

Joanna Louise Sheppard, aged 10, of 24 Stackhouse Road, was found to have died of drowning at her home on May 14. The girl was a known epileptic and was found submerged in a bath. Dr Lesley Voss, of Christchurch Hospital, said all attempts to resuscitate the child when she was brought into the hospital on May 14, had failed. ASPHYXIA James Oliver Curwood, aged 32, of 15 Flay Street, was found to have died at his home on April 21 of asphyxia . from carbon monoxide. SUICIDE Suicide verdicts were found in the cases of Elizabeth Raukura Te Huna, aged 26, and Madeleine Cleone O’Brien, aged 47.