BRIDGE FATALITY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22405, 29 April 1936, Page 18

BRIDGE FATALITY

STRUCK BY A TRAIN man hurled in harbour INQUEST HELD AT TAURANGA [bt telegraph—own correspondent] TAURAXGA, Tuesday The inquest into the death of Roy Devon,' of Matapihi, who was knocked from the harbour railway bridge by an engine, Tyas held before Mr. A. Tunks, coroner. Frederick George Smardon, enginedriver, said that on April 6 he was in charge of a train from Te Maunga for Paeroa, and arrived at the Tauranga harbour bridge at about 6.15 p.m. He did not see anybody on the bridge, and sounded the whistle on the embankment about half-way between Matapihi and the bridge. About three parts of the way across the bridge he Baw three or four Maoris on the outside of the girders, on the Matapihi side of the bend. As he rounded the bend he saw another Maori crouching on a crossgirder about the engine's length away. The front part of the engine cleaned the man, but he then appeared to straighten himself up and the bogey box under the cab struck him on the right shoulder, with the result that he was knocked into the harbour. Witness had applied the Westinghouse brake before striking the man and the train was pulled up shortly after. William Cooper, stationmaster at Tauranga, said that the bridge was used solely for railway purposes and there was no provision for pedestrian ory.other/traffic on it. There were notices at each end about 90 feet away from the bridge with the warning: "All persons trespassing will be prosecuted." There was no one in charge of the bridge. Dr. J. Mark said he was called to the Tauranga Wharf to see Devon, who had just been removed from the harbour. He was unconscious, and died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. Devon had a compound fracture of the right upper arm and extensive fractures of the ribs on the right side. There was also evidence of. injury to the right lung, and he had also inspired a good deal of water. The cause of death was shock following extensive injuries, death being hastened by partial drowning. The coroner returned a verdict that deceased died from injuries received by being knocked off the Tauranga harbour railway bridge by an engine and subsequentimmersion in water. The coroner added that no blame was attachable to anyone. The bridge was

purely a railway bridge and no person * had any right to be on it. The accident rather emphasised the need for a traffic bridge, even if only for foot traffic, across the harbour.