Death by Accident

Northland Age, Volume XVII, Issue 64, 14 May 1948, Page 2

Death by Accident

SEQUEL TO TIMBER MILLING

FATALITY

Concluding the inquest into the death of Cornfilius Wendell Foster, aged 57, General-Manager of the Kaitaia Timber Co. Ltd., in the Pukepoto State Forest Block on April 27th, District Coroner Mr. L. A. Mclntosh said that there was nc question that the fatality was accidental, when summing-up after hearing evidence at the Kaitaia Courthouse yesterday. He found accordingly and extended the sympathies of the Court to relatives of the deceased.

Evidence was given by William Houte and Henry Tahana, both of whom are bush men employed by the Company and were working with the deceased at the time of the accident. The former witness said that the tree which crushed the canopy of the tractor which deceased was operating, was about 60 feet in length and 4’6” at base and 2’6” at head in circumference. He said that it had been the custom to use a towed log to knock down a scarfed, standingtree, thereby facilitating breaking out. The deceased, said witness, was an experienced bushman. Second witness said that when preparations were being made to haul out the felled tree, he had heard the adjacent standing tree crack and had warned both deceased and his companion to get out. Witness added that he had chopped the tree away from the broken canopy of the tractor after it had fallen and, considering that deceased had been fatally injured, instituted a search for help. The first witness considered that a sudden gust of wind had caused the tree to fall. He stated that deceased had warned him to keep away when the danger was evident. Constable Mofloy in evidence said that he had visited the scene of the accident with Constable Knight, Dr. McDiarmid and the Coroner, where they found the deceased in the tractor. After the damaged iron-work of the protecting canopy had been removed, continued witness, the deceased was lifted to the ground and an exterior examination of the body carried out. The witness accounted for the accident by stating that, in his opinion, the tree had been scarfed too deeply. If deceased had glanced at the scarf, he added, he would have assumed that had the tree fallen, it would not have endangered the tractor or its occupant. He assumed that a branch had deflected the trunk in its fall before breaking, sufficiently to bring it down on the tractor. The Coroner saw no difficulty in determining the cause of deceased’s death, having himself viewed the scene, and considered that the last witness had touched on the only outstanding point. It was evident, he said, that the deceased had judged the weight of the tree incorrectly and that it had been scarfed too deeply.