RAUPO FATALITY

Grey River Argus, 14 August 1937, Page 5

RAUPO FATALITY

Inquest Verdict DEATH OF JOHN M. MOORE “That John Masters Moore died on August 8 at the Grey River Hospital, the cause of his death being shock resulting from multiple injuries and especially an injury to the pelvis. The injuries which caused death were occasioned bv the capsize in loose single of a butcher’s motor van while being driven by the deceased on the Grey-mouth-Reefton Road” was the verdict returned by the Coroner, Mr. Raymond Ferner S.M., at the inquest held yesterday morning concerning the accident at Raupo in which John M. Moore lost his life on Sunday last. Sergeant F. R. Ebbett represented the police at the inquest. . Samuel Stewart, butcher, of Greymouth, who gave evidence of identification, statea that on the morning of August 8, John Moore and Charles Lindbom, two employees, started out for Ikamatua to collect a body, of beef under witness’s instructions. Witness did not know that Moore’s friend Lowe was going with them, but witness would have been quite agreeable for him to go had he been asked. The delivery van, a late model six cylinder, which had only been on the road about two months, was in perfect order. About 9 a.m. on August 8 he got a ring from Mr. Hugh Gilmer of Totara Flat, saying "Your lorry has met with an accident and one of your men is seriously hurt.” also asking witness to ring for the ambulance. Witness rang for the ambulance and proceeded to the scene of the accident. The ambulance had left for Greymouth with the injured man when witness arrived there but Dr. Wicken of Reefton was still at Gilmer’s and he informed witness- that deceased was seriously hurt and had only a slight chance of recovery. The mudguards, body and radiator of the van were bent, and the driver’s door was torn off, but it was possible for it to be driven into Lowe’s garage by Mr. Lowe. Deceased had been in witness’s employ tor ten or eleven years and was a sober reliable man.

Charles Edward Lindbom, butcher, employed by Sam Stewart, said that on the morning of August 8, he left Greymouth for Ikamatua in company with Moore, who was driving a van. William Lowe was sitting next to the driver, and witness on the outside. There was ample room for three in the front seat. They proceeded at a speed averaging approximately 35 miles per hour. They ' had passed through Ahaura and gone down a hill on to the flat taking a sharp turn to the right just as they started on to the flat. Their speed at this time would be about 25 to 30 miles per hour. They continued on at this speed for about 50 yards and then there was another turn, this time to the left, and they were taking this turn wide, and the van started to skid and turned over, although Moore endeavoured to bring it back on to the road. On the outside of this corner there was a quantity of shingle and the van started to skid in it and Moore lost control. Witness thought that they could have got round the i corner comfortably even with the! wide turn, if they had not skidded in’ the loose gravel. He did not know why Moore took the turn so wide, as there was no other traffic on the road at the time. When the van turned over Moore was thrown out, and rhe van then rolled over again, Lowe and witness still remaining in' the van, it then lying on its side, drivers’ side up. When the van came to a standstill, witness heard Lowe call out “Where’s Jack” and Moore re-; plied “Im here”. Lowe and witness' scrambled out ran to where Moore j was lying about 15 feet from the van. He was lying on the side of the road- and the van was on its side across the other side of the road. Lowe got to Moore first and asked him how he was and Moore said he was no good, that he thought he was done, saying his back was hurt. Deceased had a cut on the head. Witness said he sustained slight cuts to the lift side of his face and two fing-J ers of his right hand.' The accident, occurred at about 8.30 and Lowe ran. to Brown’s place which was 60 or 70 1 yards away. He went to Mr. Gilmers, and the latter went to the Post uffice| and rang for Dr. Wicken, of Reef-! ton and then Mr. Stewart to call the Greymouth ambulance. Moore was, conscious all the time and he told ; them that the van had i oiled on him. Dr. Wicken arrived at about 10.30 a.m. and three nurses from Greymouth were just passing through in acar and they helped the doctor. Before the doctor had finished his examination the ambulance arrived and they all came in to Greymouth. They left the hospital at about 12.15 p.m. i and were told later that Moore aied| at 12 noon. Mr. Brown jacked the back of the van round clear of the road and left it there. Witness did not think that they had too much speed on to turn the corner. He thought that the loose gravel was actually the cause of the accident.: Moore was an experienced driver and! held a' driver’s license, and he was I the most frequent driver of this van; on the run about town. The van was: only a new one and so far as he knew: was in good order, and’ Moore did not make any complaints about the way it was going or about the steering' gear. There was no one about at the time of the accident and as far as he knew no one witnessed, it. Witness was not a motor driver himself. William Frederick Trevor Lowe, clerk employed by the Grey Power Board, a passenger in the. van, gave corroborative evidence. Witness stated that Moore took the turn wide. He did not know for what reason as it threw him on his incorrect side of the road, and in the act of tak- ( ing the turn the van got into loose, shingle and Moore was unable to get: it back on to the road before it turn-1 ed oven The van rolled right over and Moore came out of it as it went. Moore was conscious all the time and he told witness that the van rolled on him. They turned him from one side to the other every time he asked them to try and ease his pain until the arrival of Dr. Wicken at about 10.30 a.m. Witness considered that the loose gravel was the cause of the accident and that their speed was not too high to enable them to have turned the corner had the van not got out into the loose gravel and started to skid. The skid caused it to get out of control. None of them had any liquor, either before leaving Greymouth, or after they’ left Greymouth.

Dr. H. C. Barrett Medical Superintendent, Grey Hospital, stated that he examined deceased on admission to hospital at 11.45 a.m. on August S, when he was suffering from collapse. There was no pulse perceptible, and deceased was then unconscious, with heart sounds indistinct.

There was old bleeding from the nose, and a scalp wound on the left parietal region, four inches long down the skull. No fracture was seen in the depths of the wound; deceased also had abrasions of the right rorearm. There was present a fracture dislocation of the right half of the pelvis. This bone appeared to be 1 completely dislocated from its attachl - ment. In addition there was a large * wound between the lower bowel and ■ the sacrum (Terminal portion of the e spine). There had evidently been fair- ‘ ly severe haemorrhage from the 2 wound, but there was no bleeding on J admission. The patient was treated ' for the condition of collapse, but failed to revive and died about 12.15 p.m. " The cause of death in his opinion was 1 shock resulting from multiple injuries " especially the injury to the pelvis. Constable Honey said that, at 10.15 a.m., he was proceeding to Totara 1 Flat by car, and when near the Raupo railway crossing he noticed that " an accident had occurred. Dr. Wick- ■ en, of Reefton, was attending to the 1 injured man, at the side of the road. 3 The van was lying on its side on the t road, the engine pointing towards t Ahaura. He was informed that the ■ accident occurred about 8.15 a.m. 1 Witness took measurements with a ■ chain tape measure. The right-hand ■ wheel-tracks of the van were very ; noticeable in the fine gravel. Mea- ■ surements showed that the van had 1 travelled one chain 45 feet from ■ where the right hand wheels had left • the road, to where it landed on its ■' side. Measurements also went to ’ show that it was 36 feet from the '■ actual bend on the road to the point ■ where the right-hand front wheel ■ went off the edge. The road is 21 ■ feet in width near the bend, bqt it ■ narrows gradually to 16 feet where the van capsized. Witness noticed ■ that the right-hand wheels had sunk ■ several inches in the gravel at places 1 all along the road edge. He produc- ■ ed a sketch plan, showing the measurements taken. The Coroner: As the result of your observations, do you think it was the skid that caused the van to capsize? Witness: Yes. When the van turned sharply to lhe right, on the road, it capsized. The Coroner: There was nothing in the marks to lead you to believe that there was any excessive speed. Witness: No.