WATERSIDE WORKER LOSES A LEG.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 4406, 18 October 1934, Page 2

WATERSIDE WORKER LOSES A LEG.

RUN OVER BY TRUCK,

ACCIDENT ON FOXTON WHARF

A shocking accident occurred on ihe local wharf of 10 o’clock yesterday' morning when .Air Ernest Williams Bills, £ged 59, a married man with six 'children, residing in Alain Street, had his right leg completely severed a few inches below the knee.

Air Bills had been employed with others in discharging a cargo of. cement from the iri.v. Huanui and was engaged in pushing two trucks fully-loaded from the shipside to the Harbour Board shed when the accident occurred. With Air J. Death, he took up a position between the two trucks and commenced pushing on the first truck with his back, Air Death acting similarly on the opposite side while others were pushing at the rear of the second truck. The trucks had only gone a short dstance and were moving on to the Harbour Board siding when Air Bills’ foot became jambed between the cheek rail and rail proper. He called out but before anything could be done to stop the heavily-laden truck which was then moving down a slight incline, lie was knocked down and run over by the following track, the wheels crushing the foot and lower portion of the leg before finally completely severing the member a few inches below the knee.

Dr. E. AI. Wyllie was hastily summoned and attended to the injured man who was later removed to the Palmerston North Hospital in the ambulance. Despite his terrible injuries Air Bills remained conscious practically the whole time until his removal to hospital. Air. Bills had originally been engaged in receiving slings from the ship into the trucks and only a short time prior to the accident had requested that he be transferred to the work of discharging the eemeiit from the trucks into the Harbour Board shed. He is a popular member of the local branch of the Waterside Workers Union and the accident cast a gloom over the waterfront.

In the past it was customary to use the ship’s winch to haul the trucks around the curve from the wharf to the Harbour Board siding to obviate the hard work of man handling the tracks but owing to a lad placing his hand in the block and sustaining severe injuries, this method of haulage was prohibited some time ago and since then the men have had to push the tracks in the manner in which they were engaged yesterday when the accident happened.