KILLED BY TRAIN

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 September 1944, Page 4

KILLED BY TRAIN

INQUEST AND VERDICT

REEFTON, September 11. An inquest was held during the week-end into the death of John D. Nicholson, single, Forestry worker, of Reefton, who was killed on September 2, at Tawhai railway tunnel road crossing. Mr' W. B .Auld, J.P.. was coroner. Arthur A. Le Petit, of Reefton. railway porter, who was the guard on the Greymouth-Reefton train on the evening of September 2, said the train was late leaving Mawheraiti. He was in the guard’s van as the train was in the Saddle tunnel, and as they were leaving the tunnel the driver whistled to clear the' road crossing. He felt the application of the brakes, and the time was then 6.55 p.m. It was. then dark, and he gathered his hand lamp, and left the train, meeting the driver, who said, “I hit someone at the crossing.” They proceeded to the crossing and found the body of a man whom he did not know on the south end of the cattlestops at the road crossing. Robert R. Hay, engine driver, said that as the engine was leaving the tunnel he whistled for the road crossing and applied the brake, as was the usual practice. The train checked and he saw the road was clear, and released the brake. When the engine was a few yards from the •crossing he saw something on the south side of the cattle stops about the centre and applied the emergency brakes and then noticed it was a man who had his hand up as if to shield his head. He was not sure what part of the engine struck the man. He detailed the finding of the bicycle and was of the opinion that the man had been intending to push his bicycle through the tunnel to his home at Tawhai.

Charles Palmer, fireman of the engine, corroborated the driver’s evidence.

Dr. J. L. Wicken said he was called to the scene of the accident, and found the body of John D. Nicholson, whom he knew personally. Life was extinct, and the examination revealed a fractured skull and severe head injuries. There was also ’ a broken right arm. Death would have been instantaneous, and was the result of cerebral haemorrhage, and a fractured skull.

The Coroner returned a verdict that John Donaldson Nicholson came to his death on September 2 on the Reef ton-Greymouth railway line as a result of being struck by a railway engine, the injuries being a fractured skull and severe head injuries. No blame was attachable to officials of the Railway Department.