THE PURAKANUI ACCIDENT.

Otago Witness, Issue 1892, 15 May 1890, Page 11

THE PURAKANUI ACCIDENT.

An inquest was held at Long Beach, Purakanui, yesterday morning before Mr E. G. Allen, J.P., and a jury of six (Mr John Foote, foreman) on the body of Agnes Driver, who died from injuries sustained through falling over a cliff.

Elizabeth Driver, mother of the deceased, deposed thatherdaughter'sagewasiS years and 10 months. Witness remembered Sunday, the 27th of April. On that day deceased was about the house in the early part of the afternoon, but about 3 o'clock she disappeared, and witness thought she had gone for the cows as she was in the habit of doing. She was then in good health. It was milking time at 4 o'clock, but she bad not then returned. Search was made for her, but she was not found. Next day , she was brought home from a neighbour's house, terribly bruised and cut about the head. She was sensible, and told witness that on Sunday afternoon after leaving home she went over to the clifl, where her hat blew off, and in making an effort to catch it she tripped on a vine and fell to the bottom of the cliff.

Charles Driver, a young man, stated that deceased was his sister. When he missed her on Sunday, the 27th April, he went with others to look for her, and about 10 o'clock at night he found her lying at the bottom of a cliff. She told him she had fallen from the top of the cliff. She was removed to Mrs Liddell's house, half a mile away. Dr Cunningham was at once sent for from Port Chalmers, and arrived about 1 o'clock next morning and attended to the girl.

Dr Cunningham said he remembered being called to attend deceased. He saw her between 1 and 2 o'clock on the morning of Monday, the 28th ult., at the house of Mrs Liddle, Long Beach. She was suffering from severe shock, and had two severe scalp wounds, laying bare the crown of the skull for a length of about 6in on either side,' the wound being filled with debris such as small pieces of rock and leaves. She also had sustained a dislocation of the left shoulder joint, a fracture of the right shoulder blade bone, contusion of the right lung, and a fracture of the left side of the pelvis, while there were severe bruises all over the body. She was perfectly conscious and lingered until last Wednesday night at 6 o'clock, when she died in witness' presence. The immediate cause of death was due to the injury to the pelvis. In conversation with deceased witness learned from her that while she was eittiug on the edge of the cliff her hat blew off, and in attempting to regain it she tripped and rolled over the cliff. Tbe place where the girl fell over had been pointed out to witness, and he estimated that she must have fallen a distance of 200 ft.

The jury returned a verdict to the effect that deceased died from injuries received through accidentally falling over a cliff.