ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23362, 30 November 1937, Page 13

ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES

BOY DROWNED NOT MISSED FROM SWIMMING PARTY (Per United Press Association) AUCKLAND, Nov. 29. An inquest was opened this morning on Desmond Llewellyn Thomas, aged 15, of Avondale, who was drowned in Whau Creek yesterday afternoon. He was swimming with 14 other lads, and it was not until the majority had left for home that it was found he was missing. George Heron, a resident of the district, searched the swimming pool and found the body. A doctor stated that the boy had apparently been dead over two hours. The boy was a strong swimmer, and was popular in the neighbourhood. He had recently been apprenticed to a coachbuilder with the Auckland Transport Board. After hearing evidence of identification, the coroner (Mr F. K. Hunt, S.M.) adjourned the inquest sine die. BOY DROWNED IN RIVER (Per United Press Association' WHANGAREI, Nov. 29. Arthur Richard Schutt, aged 13, was drowned in the Hatea River yesterday. The deceased was bathing with two children named Tufnell in a portion of the river where dredging operations were recently carried out, and the bank shelves sharply to a depth of 25ft. The deceased was soon noticed to be in difficulties, and the Tufnell children ran home for assistance. Mrs Tufnell dived in fully clothed to attempt to rescue the boy, but was unsuccessful. It was impossible to find the body by diving, and grappling irons had to be used. The deceased was a son of Mr William John Harold Schutt. A FATAL FALL INQUEST ON ELDEIOLY WOMAN An inquest into the death of Emma Hanna Borland, 85 years of age, who died in the Dunedin Hospital on Sunday afternoon after having fallen from a window in the upper storey of a building in Caversham earlier in the day, was held at the Hospital yesterday afternoon before Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M. Detective Sergeant Hall conducted the inquiry. Dr Thomas Alastair Macfarlane, a house surgeon at the Hospital, said that he examined the deceased when she was admitted to the Hospital and found that she was suffering from a fractured left femur, a comminated fracture of the jaw, and fractured ribs on the left side. He understood that the deceased had fallen about 12 feet. She sank and died at 3.50 p.m., and in his opinion death was due to her injuries, combined with the fact that she was aged. Isabel Sawers, a married woman, living at 35 York place, said that she had known the deceased for over 40 years. She was an old age pensioner, and had recently been an inmate of the Salvation Army women's home in Caversham.

Agnes Fletcher, the matron of the Salvation Army Home, said that at 10.10 a.m. on Sunday the deceased was in bed in her room on the upstairs floor of the building, but at 10.20 a.m., while deponent was sitting in a room downstairs, she heard the sound of a fall and a scream. She found that the deceased had forced open the bottom half of her window, which had appeared to be securely jammed with pegs, and had fallen to the asphalt below, a drop of about 12 feet. An ambulance was summoned, and the deceased was removed to Hospital. Mrs Borland had been an inmate of the 'home since July, and often, in witness's opinion, was of unsound mind. She had been receiving close attention, but had shown no suicidal tendencies and did not require to be restrained. The coroner said that the deceased had apparently forced open a window, which seemed to be securely fastened, but there was nothing to show whether she feil out or had thrown herself out. As she had not shown any suicidal tendencies, he would return a verdict that the deceased died from a fractured femur and other injuries received when she fell from a window in the Salvation Army Home.

FOUND DEAD An inquest was held yesterday morning before Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M., as coroner, on Charles Russell Smith, who was found dead on Sunday at his residence, 298 York place. Evidence was given by Dr Newlands that he had been attending the deceased for some time, and treated him for nervous depression. The deceased had at no time threatened to take his own life. Evidence was also given by Sergeant Johnsen, who conducted the inquest on behalf of the police, Harold Laing Smith, a brother of the deceased, and George Robert Prescott. The coroner returned a verdict that death was due to a razor wound self-inflicted while the deceased was in a depressed state of mind> A HAND CRUSHED Jean Potter, who resides at 696 Cumberland street, had her left hand crushed when it was caught in an ironing machine at Clark's Laundry yesterday morning. She was admitted to the Hospital at 8.45. TREE-FELLING ACCIDENT While engaged in tree-felling at Karitane yesterday Maire Parata, received injuries to his right leg when a tree fell on him. The injured man, who is married and resides at Karitane, was admitted to the Dunedin Hospital at 5.50 p.m. STRUCK BY A LADDER Head injuries were received .by David Nees, who resides at 43 Stanfield street, when a ladder fell on him at Messrs Donald Reid and Co.'s new wool store yesterday morning. He was admitted to the Hospital at 11.50.