Waiharara Football Fatality Inquest

Northern Advocate, 26 May 1941, Page 2

Waiharara Football Fatality Inquest

An inquest was opened at Kaitaia on Friday morning before Mr. L. J. Mclntosh, district coroner, concerning the death of Ljubomir Srhoj, aged 24, of Waiharara, who died at Auckland on Wednesday following an accident while playing football. Evidence of identification was given by Mate Srhoj, a brother of deceased, who stated that on Saturday, May 17, deceased was playing in a football game at Waiharara in the forwards as hooker. Witness was playing in the same team as wing three-quarter. Deceased weighed 11 stone and had been playing football for a number of years. He was quite a good footballer. At 3.30 p.m. a scrum was formed in the usual manner, with deceased in the front row. The ball was put into the scrum and was hooked out by the opposing team.

After a Scrum

After the scrum had been broken up in. the ordinary way, witness noticed his brother standing up where the scrum had been, rubbing his leg, which witness thought he had hurt. Deceased was then seen to fall down on his back. Witness went up to him, and found that he was quite conscious, but he complained of being paralysed in his limb. They gave him what assistance they could and then had him conveyed to the Kaitaia hospital, which was reached about threequarters of an hour after the accident. Deceased told witness that he had received a blow in the neck while in the scrum, He did not know how this happened, but said that no person was to blame. The game was a friendly one, and there was no rough play as far as witness had seen. Deceased was taken to an Auckland hospital by plane on the 21st and he had died there the same day at 10.30 p.m. The inquest was adjourned sine die.