WAIUTA FATALITY

Grey River Argus, 11 May 1935, Page 6

WAIUTA FATALITY

VERDICT OF ACCIDENTAL DEATH. An inquest was held at Waiuta on Thursday concerning the death of Neils George Olsen, before Mr E, J. Scantlebury, Coroner. Mr E. J. Scoble represented the Mines Department, Mr J. McGregor, Mines Inspector for the Inangahua Miuers’ Union represented the Union, Mr R. A. Stewart the Black water Mines, and Mr Harrison appeared for the relatives and Sergeant Hodgins for the police. Dr. Archibald Jenkins of Waiuta, stated that at 10.30 that morning, he saw Neil George Olsen at the prohibition Mine. He was unconscious and was suffering from the effect of a fracture iof the skull and the lower left ribs. The seventh to the tenth rib, as near as he could make out from an external examination, -were fractured. His condition was very critical. He was put on an improvise . stretcher for the purpose of taking him to the hospital, but he died an hour afterwards without regaining consciousness. Death was due to a fracture of the skull and internal haemorrhage, caused by the fractured ribs. His injuries were consistent with a fall from a distance of 20 feet. Everything possible m a medical sense was done for him. Alexander David Brooks, a miner employed by the Blackwater Mines, said that for. the last three weeks Im had been assisting in the work of erecting new poppet heads and dismantling the old ones. II started work at 8 o’clock in company with Harold Robinson, Patrick Galway and the deceased. Just immediately prior to the accident the deceased was knocking out a piece of wood about two feet !ong. He was standing on the stage board and using a ten-p mnd hammer. When he knocked the small piece of wood out it released the guide runner, which was about 16 feet in length and ‘lO inches by 6. Just as the deceased ; placed the hammer on th.- stage and ; was in the act of straightening him self. When in witness’s opinion, the igidde runner struck him, with the result that he overbalanced ni.fi fell off ’ -he staging, striking the diagonal stay ' while falling to the ground. I The Inspector: It was necessary to ' knock the piece of wood on:, to release the guide runner. It was optional with the deceased which side of the guide runner he stood. He could have stood on the other side if he had -iked.

Mr McGrgor: Deceasel was standing on planking Bins. by 2ins. and 6ins. by 2ins. He was sure he was not standing on the cross-piece lOiiis. by lOins. Mr F. Harrison: Was there sufficient staging to walk around the guide runner to enable 'him to get out of the w:vy free? There was sufficient room.

To Se-igeant Hodgins: He thought ’J.e side deceased was working on was the safe.side.

Harol I Henry Robinson said that the deceased and he were on the same level but working on different parts. Ho heard someone call and looked up and saw deceasel falling off the sedging. Some feet below him deceas-

ed i truck a beam while falling. To the Inspector: The stick was swaying outwards, when he looked up. In his opliriion, t’he stick struck the deceased, or else he slipped. To Mr McGregor: The staging was erected both ends. He was standing on one end and deceased on the other.

Oscar Harry Brailsford, a builder, employed at (he Blackwater Mines, said that just prior to the accident, he was working on the same leven with deceased, disconnecting the guide runner. All the bolts had beu removed, and tiirc was then two struts six inches by four holding it, one on eaclt side. They split one of the struts and the other was partially chopped out W...1- uu axe. The deceased ’.lion struck it with a ten-pound hammer, releasing it. The guide runner swayed. Deceased has placed the hammer on the stage after knocking the strut out, and in my opinion when he was straightening himself the guide runno’r struck him on rhe shoulder, causing him to overbalance and fall off the staging. The work was carried out in as safe a manner as possible. When Olsen was picked upp he was unconscious and ’ ,p n oved to the ambulance anl Dr. Jenkins was sent for. He had known the deceased, and had worked with him for the past ten weeks. He was very surefooted. As far as he knew, deceased had never had any fainting fits or giddy turns. He was quite sober when he came to work.

To the Inspector: All reasonable precautions were taken. They would for an hour affter the accident, not realising the serious nature of the accident, but left immediately on being informed of Olsen’s death. To Mr McGregor: He did. not think deceased was in any danger front the knocking out of the stay. To Sergeant Hodgins, witness said he had 25 years’ experience in this class of work. To Mr Stewart: He had had a lot of experience in this class of work, and this was the first accident he had ever had. When the guide runner was being removed, provision was made to take the weight in case it should swing clear.

To Mr Harrison: If a tail rope had been fixed to tlbe bolting of the guide runner then the men would have had fu’l command of it, and could have guide it where they wished. If it was a large stick, this was always done. Frederick Harrison, miner, Waiuta, gave evidence of identification. The deceased was his son-in-law, and about 55 years .of age. As long as he had known deeeased his health had been good. He had never been subject to any weak turns. The Coroner returned the following verdict:—“That (he deceased died from a fractured skull and internal haemorrhage caused by accidentally falling from the staging used while dismantling the head gear of the Prohibition Shaft, no blame being attached to anyone.

The Coroner expressed his sympathy with the relatives, also on behalf of the Hon. Mr Smith, the Minister of Education end Employment, who bad visited -the district during the present week.