RAILING GIVES WAY

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 183, 1 May 1936, Page 7

RAILING GIVES WAY

Man Falls From Hotel Fire Escape INQUIRY INTO FATALITY The circumstances in which a married man, Janies McPherson, toolmaker, aged 34, fell through tlie railing of tlie fire escape of tlie Railway Hotel, Lower Hutt, on the evening of April 4, receiving injuries from which he died in Wellington Hospital ou April 10, were related to the coroner, Mr, E. Gilbertson, J.P., in the Lower Hutt Court yesterday morning. Senior-Sergeant J. Slvyer conducted the inquest, Mr. W. I’. Shorland appearing for rhe next-of-kin of deceased and Mr. 11. E. Pope for the licensee of the hotel. Evidence that he and McPherson had had five “shandies” each between 12.15 p.in. and 3 p.m., when they parted, on the day of the accident, was given by Allan William Wishart, blacksmith. Deceased had been in New Zealand for nine years and a half and had left a wife and three young children, he said. Gavin Lewis, barman-porter, said that McPherson had come into the public bar about 5.30 p.m., and before closing time witness had served him with three or four “handles? of “shandy.” He had given no trouble while in tlie bar. Jnsj, after 6 p.m. lie saw him at tlie back of tlie hotel, when he had appeared not to be under the influence of liquor and to be capable of looking after himself. Answering Mr. Pope, he said lie could not swear that McPherson was not drunk. Join: Basil Payne, motor trimmer, said lie was tlie stepson of the licensee and assisted in the private bar on Saturday afternoons. Just lifter 6 p.m. he hail seen McPherson arguing with his stepfather and a man named Holmes and had heard his stepfather tell him to go quietly off the premises. When he returned a lew minutes later he heard an argument going on upstairs, and ns it sounded as if a quarrel might occur he went upstairs anil saw deceased arguing with a boarder named* Askew. He had approached him and told him that he would get into trouble if be remained on the premises, but lie had replied that he would not go until he got more beer. lie was in an argumentative mood. They were then in an upstairs passage that led to tlie fire escape, and a boarder named Greig hail come out of his room nearby nnd tried to reason with McPherson, who had become- more abusive. McPherson Put Out. Greig had then asked if deceased had to be put out, and witness had said, “Yes, but lie won’t go for me.” Greig had then taken hold of deceased around the arms and lifted him out on to the fire escape landing. Greig iiad then turned to close Hie door and deceased had tried to get in again. Greig had held up his hand to prevent him and had tried to close the door. He did not see Greig strike or push McPherson. Thinking that he had been put out, witness went downstairs, but on going to the kitchen he had seen a crowd under the fire escape and then saw deceased lying on the ground unconscious. William Maxwell Scott Greig, engineer. told of having heard a drunken man talking outside his room and of having found deceased talking to Askew and Payne, who had been unsuccessfully endeavouring to got him Off the premises. Witness said he had asked them if they wanted McPherson put outside and had been told Unit they did. He had then put his arms around him from behind and lifted hi moot on to the fire escape landing. 'Witness then stepped back with the intention of closing the door and deceased came in again. V ituess again picked up McPherson and placed him on the landing. ' Overbalanced and Fell. “After I lot him go, he suddenly overbalanced and fell against the landing which gave way,” said Greig. He fell about 14 feet to the ground below. 'When lie saw him falling he had endeavoured to catch him but was too late, and McPherson had appeared to fall on his shoulder and head. Witness immediately went down and found deceased unconscious. Greig said he did not strike or push when on the landing and did nothing to cause him to fall. That was due to his drunken condition. i Answering Senior-Sergeant Sivyer, witness said that McPherson had been put out on tlie fire-escape because it was nearer than the stairs. There was no other reason. Mr. Shorland: Do you think it was a safe means of exit to get a drunken man out?—“I think lie would have got down all right. I would not say he was helplessly drunk.” Witness said, further, that he thought that the boarders would know that the handrail of the fire-escape was shaky Replying to Mr. Pope, Greig said McPherson had not kicked when he had put him out. “Knowing that the staircase was rickety, do you still say that it was a safe procedure to put a man out that way?” asked the senior sergeant. "I did not know he would not be able to walk down,” answered witness. “It did not occur to me nt the time.”

Robert Cecil Askew, motor engineer, said it was Payne who had answered “Yes” when Greig had asked if he wanted deceased put out. After being put out again, deceased had come in. Witness had caught hold of the lapel of his coat and Greig had lifted him out again, when he had let go of the lapel. He saw McPherson fall. Deceased had taken a step before be fell, witness said. His body and not his hands struck the railing. Licensee’s Story. The licensee, Samuel George Platt, said that he had seen McPherson in the passage about G p.m., and had been of the opinion that he was under the influence of liquor. 116 had begun to abuse him and had wanted to argue. About a quarter of an hour later, he was standing talking outside the back door when he suddenly saw a man fall alongside him, and realised that he must have fallen from the escape. Then ho said it was deceased who had fallen, but had been unaware that he had gone upstairs. Dr. F. L. Clark, house surgeon at Wellington Hospital, said McPherson had died on April 10 from compression and laceration of the brain and a fracture at the base of the skull. When he had been admitted to hospital about 7.20 p.m. on April 4. it was impossible to say whether lie was under the influence of liquor’ns lie was deeply unconscious, but there was no smell of alcohol. Joseph Fletcher, building inspector of the Lower Hutt Borough Council, said that ho had inspected the escape on April 27 and had no hesitation in condemning it as unsafe. The timber was in fairly mod condition, but the attachment to the main building was unsound, since it depended chiefly in the nailing and not bolts. Had the various members been housed or checked into each other and bolted to the floor joists and to the studding of the main building, the balustrade would not have broken away. He had inspected the hotel in May last, when there had been nothing to indicate weakness in the fire escape structure. In answer to Mr. Pope, Fletcher said that the proprietor was quite entitled to conclude that the railing was reasonably safe.

“I nm perfectly satisfied that the man was drunk,” said the coroner, in delivering his finding, “and I think he was unsteady on his feet.” Deceased had lurched against the railing, which was not safe. The three boarders had agreed that it was slinky. He found that deceased had died from a fracture of the skull received when he had fallen from a fire-escape at the Kailway Hotel, Lower Hutt.