Rumours prompt rehearing

Press, 13 December 1989, Page 32

Rumours prompt rehearing

A verdict was expected before Christmas on the death of a boy, aged 13, after appendix surgery at the Princess Margaret Hospital last year, the Coroner, Mr Neil Mac Lean, said in the Coroner’s Court yesterday.

The Coroner said that after completion of the evidence some months ago he had decided on a rehearing, after rumours became prevalent among certain people about the suture used in the operation.

Mrs Jocelyn Irene Brash, an operating theatre supervisor, responsible for the two theatres and the staff in the theatres at the Princess Margaret Hospital, said it was unlikely that the suture used in the operation would have dissolved in the time between the operation and post-mortem examination.

The Coroner said the operation had been on September 28 and the post mortem examination performed by Dr Paul Kelleher on October 4. The Court had heard earlier that Matthew Eric Carter had died three

days after the appendectomy performed by Dr William Alexander MacLaurin.

The Court heard that distention of the colon after the operation rolled the ligature off the stump of the appendix.

The post-mortem examination had showed he died of peritonitis, a severe inflammation caused by leakage from the appendix stump. Mrs Brash said the shortest time span for ordinary gut to be absorbed was about seven days. She said a chromic gut suture treated with salts could be used, or ordinary gut.

Dr Kelleher had stated he did not see the suture material in the abdomen or the appendix area, but he did not look for it within the infected area. He said that when the suture was put on a stump which was infected the stump of the appendix swelled, and the stitch, being non-compliant, came off. He said this could explain why the fluid from the bowel, which is where

it was assumed the infection come from, was able to get into the cavity. The Coroner asked whether the most likely occurrence was that the stump swelled, the tie fell off, and got lost in the fluid which came out.

“Yes,” said the doctor. OPEN VERDICT

A man, aged 24, whose body was recovered from the sea off Cave Rock in October, had given no indication he intended to take his own life, the Coroner’s Court was told. The Coroner returned an open verdict on the death of Vaughan Spencer Hulme Wallis Williams. Senior Constable A. P. Bruce said that on October 31 the police had recovered a body from the sea off Cave Rock. He said Mr Williams had been reported missing to the police on October 26, and his vehicle was found parked at Sumner. He said Mr Williams suffered severe injuries consistent with having fallen a considerable distance.

Mr Williams had given no indication he intended to take his own life.

Dr Lawrence Treadgold in a statement told the Court that Mr Williams suffered extensive head and chest injuries and died on October 25 at Whitewash Head, Sumner. CAR CRASHED

A boy, aged 13, who had escaped from Kingslea, died after the stolen car in which he was a passenger, crashed near Templeton, the Court heard.

Daniel James Stringer, of Christchurch, died from severe head injuries suffered when the car he was in spun and crashed on the Main South Road, the Coroner found. Senior Constable Bruce said that police had attended an accident involving a car on the Main South Road one mile south of Templeton.

He said Daniel James Stringer sustained head injuries in the accident and died at Christchurch Hospital on June 10.

He said Dr Malcolm Robert Ward certified the cause of death to be severe head injury. Stringer and Calvin Graham Veevers had escaped from the Kingslea Resource Centre and unlawfully took a Hillman car, said Senior Constable Bruce.

Veevers had been driving the vehicle south along the Main South Road at an excessive speed when he lost control of the car, causing it to sweve on to the gravel shoulder. He over-cor-rected and it veered back across the road and rolled over. CAR HIT TREE A man died after the car he was driving hit a tree on Lake Terrace Road, the Court heard.

The Coroner found that Stephen Michael Clarke, aged 22, died from severe head injuries sustained after losing control of his vehicle and hitting a tree. Speed had been a contributing factor in the accident, the Coroner said.

Traffic officer Richard Jury, of Christchurch, said he investigated an accident at 11 p.m. on July 27 at Lake Terrace Road. He said the driver and sole occupant in the vehicle, Stephen Clarke, suffered injuries in the crash, resulting in his death 12 days later, on August 9. He said Jury had been driving west exceeding 50km/h and lost control of the car on a moderate left-hand bend, left the road, and hit a tree.

The pathologist, Dr Lawrence Treadgold, pronounced the cause of death to be severe head injuries. CARS COLLIDED

The driver of a car sustained fatal injuries after a car accident at an intersection on the southern motorway, the Coroner’s Court heard. Albert Leslie Powell, aged 61, of Christchurch, died from a rupture of the aorta sustained in a collision at the Akaroa Highway turn-off at Halswell,’ the Coroner found. Traffic officer Paul James Leonard, of Christchurch, said he had investigated an accident involving two cars about 7 p.m. on September 10 at the junction of the Christchurch southern motorway and the HalswellAkaroa turn-off. He said Powell suffered fatal injuries in the accident.

Mr Powell’s vehicle, while turning, collided with a car travelling west along the southern motorway. The accident happened during darkness and rainy conditions. No fault was attributed to any other person, he said. WOMAN KILLED A woman died after she lost control of the car she was driving on Port Hills Road and collided with a truck, the Court heard. Carol Ann Wright, aged 38, of Christchurch, died at Port Hills Road from massive trauma after she lost control of her vehicle and hit the truck, the Coroner ruled. Traffic Officer lan Healey, of Christchurch, said he attended an accident on July 10 ’ involving a truck and a car, on Port Hills Road, about 40 metres east of the Tunnel Road ramp. He said the car driver Wright had sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene.

She had been driving the car west and lost control of the vehicle while on the Tunnel Road underpass. The car had ridden up the median strip and crashed into the truck travelling in the opposite direction.

The truck driver, Mr Gregory Neil McKee, stated that while approaching the underpass

he saw a blue car approaching from the opposite direction and that the vehicle was “fish-tailing.” He said he slowed and as the car was almost alongside it crossed the median strip, and hit the right-hand-side of the truck, then went under the deck. Traffic Officer Healey said Ms Wright had been affected by alcohol and was travelling too fast to safely negotiate the curve in the road, causing her to lose control of the vehicle. MOPED FATALITY A man died when the Moped he was riding hit a parked utility in Withells Road, the Coroner’s Court heard. Brendon Gerald Fricker, aged 17, died in Christchurch Hospital on March 13 from multiple injuries sustained when he hit a vehicle, the Coroner ruled. ' Traffic Officer Wayne Templeton, said he had investigated an accident in which a Moped had crashed into a parked utility on March 10 at Withells Road.

He said Fricker had suffered serious' multiple injuries and died in hospital three days later.

He had been riding the borrowed Moped north along Withells Road and it did not have a working headlight. The Moped ran into the back of the unlit parked vehicle. The accident happened about 10.20 p.m. on a poorly lit road in windy conditions. JOGGER HIT

A joggery crossing Tennyson Street died after being hit by a car, the Coroner’s Court was told.

John Joseph Connor, aged 55, of Christchurch, died from severe injuries suffered when he was knocked down while crossing the road, the Coroner ruled.

Traffic Officer Healey said he had investigated an accident involving a car and a pedestrian at 8.50 a.m. on February 2, at the Heathcote River bridge intersection of Tennyson Street and Eastern Terrace.

The pedestrian, Mr Connor, had sustained serious head injuries and died at Christchurch Hospital four hours later. Mr Connor had been jogging along Eastern Terrace and had crossed Tennyson Street. Near the centre of Tennyson Street he was hit by a vehicle travelling east. Traffic Officer Healey said six independent witnesses had stated the vehicle was exceeding the 50 km/h limit and had just overtaken another car before the accident. He said the car driver, Robin John Cornish, had been convicted in the District Court on October 25 of driving while disqualified, excessive speed causing death, and careless use of a motor vehicle causing death. He was sentenced to eight months periodic detention and disqualified from driving for two years.