POWER LINE ACCIDENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19452, 7 October 1926, Page 12

POWER LINE ACCIDENT.

DAMAGES FOR EMPLOYEE. BOROUGH'S APPEAL DISMISSED. [HY TELEGRAPH. —rRESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON, Wednesday. Tho hearing of an appeal by the Inglewood Borough Council against a judgment given by Mr. Justice Reed at New Plymouth in June, 1926, awarding George Scobie, an employee of the council, £1774 15s for injuries received in the course of his employment, was concluded in the Court of Appeal to-day. Tho facts wero that while cutting certain electric lines or wires Scobie fell from an electric light and power pole. He came in contact with live wires and sustained serious injuries. The lines were bare low-pressure lines. By Statute it is provided that lines of that nature upon which workmen are engaged shall be disconnected from tho source of supply, but if a suitable raised, insulated platform is used wires need not be disconnected.

In delivering the decision of the Court the Chief Justice, Hon, C. P. Skorrett, said that the failure of the employee in not using a protective felt \<-as 'not negligence, as no precautions were needed for wires which should have been dead, and which, were stated by the corporation to be dead. .An absolute duty was imposed on tho corporation not to employ men on wires which had not been cut off, unless it supplied an insulated platform, which it did not do.

Tho appeal was dismissed, with costs highest scale.