LINESMAN'S DEATH

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22391, 11 April 1936, Page 14

LINESMAN'S DEATH

FALL FROM POWER TOWER SAFETY BELT UNFASTENED [from our own correspondent] CAMBRIDGE. Thursday A verdict that Matthew Dinan, a linesman employed by the Public Works Department, was accidentally killed through falling from an electric power tower at Hautapu yesterday, was returned by Mr. E. W. Platts, coroner, at the ocnclusion of the inquest this morning. John L. Collins said that he and deceased were employed yesterday in testing insulators on the main transmission power line which runs from Arapum to Penrose. They were on Mr. Bourke s property at Hautapu. It was customary for one man to remain on the ground while the other mounted the to\vor for testing purposes. At about 2.45 p.m. deceased was near the top of a tower about 100 feet up, when witness, who was on the ground, heard him cry out. Looking up, witness said, he saw deceased falling into space. The body appeared to be somersaulting backwards and it struck the tower two or three times in its fall to the ground. There was no movement of the body after it reached the ground and witness ran to Mr. Bourkc's house near by, and summoned a doctor. He then informed the foreman, Mr. J. C. Snell, who was working about half a mile away. According to medical evidence, death was instantaneous. Deceased's neck was broken and there was a severe compound fracture of the right arm. Other witnesses described the tower, hut could not account for the accident. There was.no suggestion that deceased had received an electric shock. In returning his verdict the coroner said there was no evidence to show how the accident happened, but it was clear that deceased's safety belt had been unfastened to enable him to shift his position.