INQUEST

Grey River Argus, 31 March 1932, Page 8

INQUEST

BOY’S DEATH IN THE BUSH. An inquest touching the death of Percy Corrin was held at the Courthouse, Reefton, before Mr W. B. Auld, Coroner. Stephen Corrin, a resident of Inangahua Junction, identified the body lying at the Hospital as that of his son, Percy Clifford Corrin, aged ten years, who died at the Reefton Hospital on Sunday morning at 10.30. On Saturday afternoon the lad, with some companions, went into the bush cutting firewood. As he was falling a tree with a crosscut saw, the tree, which was ten inches in diameter, split for 10 or 12 feet, owing to a cut being put in the back, and not being scarfed, the tree fell towards the lad. Tt pinned him to the ground by the neck. Witness, his eldest son and Mr Cook tried to release tho boy, but were unable to lift the tree, and finally had to chop the limbs clear. The boy was unconscious all the time while being conveyed to the Reefton Hospital. The lads were on their own I and the eldest lad of the party would I be 12 years old.

Dr. W. A. Conlon stated that ac about 4.45 p.m. on Saturday deceased was brought to his surgery from Inangahua Junction. He was unconscious and was suffering from a lacerated wound of the left ear, the ear being torn from its attachment to the scalp at the mastoid process. There was also a lacerated wound of the chin extending under tho chin, irregular in shape, and about one and a half inches long; also a lacerated wound of. the upper lip. All the wounds were dressed. There was also a fracture of the right chest wall, and under the right breast three or four ribs were broken. There was a collection of blood under the skin, but tho skin was not torn, being merely grazed. Possibly also the lung was torn by broken ends of rib, and no doubt much free blood was in the left pleural cavity. There was a fracture of the left frontal parietal bone on the left side of the skull. At least there were all the signs of a fractured skull with haemorrhage into the brain causing pressure symptoms of the brain. The patient was treated at the surgery from 4.15 to 9.45. Ho was seriously and dangerously ill, and, after ~a consultation with Dr. Wicken, the Loy was sent to the Hospital in care of Dr. Wicken for admission there. Witness was of opinion that the injuries outlined above were sufficient to cause death, and held out no hope for his recovery. Death was in his opinion due to cerebral haemon hago plus the added injury to the left chest. A big force was necessary to produce all the injuries sustained, and a falling tree, as mentioned, was likely to produce such an effect. The Coroner gave a verdict as follows: That Percy Clifford Corrin died at the Reefton Hospital as a result of injuries described in the medical evidence and sustained by a tree falling on him. The Coroner added a rider that it was not wise to allow young children to go into the bush falling trees. He expressed his sympathy to tho parents.