CLAIM FOR DAMAGES.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume II, Issue 143, 3 June 1912, Page 3

CLAIM FOR DAMAGES.

THE LOSS OF A HAND. Palmerston North, June 1

An interesting claim for damag-.:-for accident has occupied the atten tion of the jury at the Supreme Court for two days. FianciS Ed* • Carson, a youth, sued Keeling a,.-> Mundy, printers, for £ls7b ikn«' o for loss of his right hand wmla ’a defendant’s employ. Plaintiff w ; as employed at defendant’s printing works, and was receiving a weekly wage of 10,-. June 14th, 1911, he was c et to w k printing small seed packets, c -.u. through the alleged faulty action oi the machine his hand w-as crirmd and injured to such an extent the.' amputation of the right hand ai.ti portion of the right arm was necessary. It was alleged that the madi inc was not in a reasonably safe condition for work so far as the exercise of reasonable care ar.d skill could make it. The injury was received while plaintiff was placing with his right hand a packet for printing on the plate prepared for that purpose, and the plates suddenly coming together, jammed his right hand. The defence denied that the injury was caused through a faulty action of the machine; denied that the • .nine was not in a reasonably safe condition for use ; denied that the machine had any of the defects mentioned or that any of them could have contributed to plaintiff’s injury ; denied that the plates came together, and that the machine suddenly stopped. The defence held further that the machine was m proper order, and alleged that plaintiff carelessly permitted his hand to remain on one of the plates of the machine for too long a thne, and the plates therefore came together and crushed his hand.

A great deal of evidence was called for both sides.

The jury, after one hour’s retirement, found for the defendants, and the case was adjourned to allow 7 the Insurance Company and plaintiff to fix compensation as allowed by the Act.