SINGULAR ACCIDENT.—DEATH OF MR. R. SANDALL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8670, 12 September 1891, Page 5

SINGULAR ACCIDENT. —DEATH OF MR. R. SANDALL.

At an oarly hour yesterday morning, Mr. Richard Sandall, senior, butcher, Eden Terrace, died at the District Hospital, from injuries received on the previous day, under the following extraordinary circumstances : —On Thursday morning ho rose at halfpasb five o'clock, as was his custom, and went to call his men. While going through the stable, he noticed a rat on one of the beams, which had apparently been at the corn bin below it. He at once caught up a stick and jumped on the bin bo destroy the rat, bub ill his excitement failed to notice that a large meat hook was suspended from the beam, and with this he came in contact, the hook striking the eye, the blow causing him to reel find fall heavily backwards, his head striking the bin. Mr. Sandall, notwithstanding the shocking nature of his in--1 juries, succeeded in returning to the house, where Mrs. Sandall applied bandages, &c. Ho did nob have a doctor at once, not thinking it necessary, and it was not till four o'clock in the afternoon that, through the pain becoming more intense, Dr. Lawry was called in. Dr. Lawry was out, and it was seven o'clock in the evening before he saw Mr. Sandall. After attending to tho patient, lie advised hisremoval next mornyig (yesterday) to the Hospital. During the evening Mr. Sandall got worse, and subsequently delirious, so that it was a work of great difficulty to remove him yesterday morning to the Hospital. Dr. Purchas operated on the eye, but its removal gave very little relief, and the patient got increasingly worse, and died in half-an-hour. Some of the doctors are of opinion that the hook did not penetrate the brain, but that death was the result of tho severe blow to the back of the head. Dr. Philson, coroner, will hold an inquest to-day at tho Hospital, when the post mortem and inquiry will no 1 doubt elicit the real facts of the case. Deceased leaves a widow and grown-up [ family.