FATALITY ON THE RAILWAY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3318, 17 October 1917, Page 37

FATALITY ON THE RAILWAY.

THE INQUEST. An in-quesfc was held by Mr H. A. Young, S.M., on the 9th concerning the death ol James Douglas, who had his leg badlysmashed by some railway rolling stock on! Saturday evening at the Dunedin railway station, necessitating its amputation. Sergeant M'Kecfry conducted the case on be. half of the police. George Arthur Collis stated that deceased had said ho was 82 years of age. He was troubled with his heart, and waa inclined to take fits. The evidence went to show that deceased joined the express train at Gore. William Cameron, the guard, noticed that the man was not in a fit state to travel alone. A* Caversham he got off the train inquiring if the place was Invcroargill, but the guard! got him back again. On arrival at Dunedin, Waugh, the assistant guard, saw Constable Amies and asked him to find accommodation for deceased, who had a roll of notes on him. The constable looked at the man, and finding that ho was sober, said he could do nothing unless a charge was laid. Waugh then gave the man in charge of an expressman, who took him to the Leviathan Hotel. When deceased was admitted to the hospital he had £6 In notes on him, and he told the nurse the money was right, and that they wore honest people. Waugh said the roll of £6 shown him. was like the roll he saw on deceased. The ooroner, reviewing the evidence, said no blame was attachable to the railway officials, who seemed to- have acted reasonably in all respects. The only question was whether the constable had made an error of judgment in not taking deoeased to the polio® station, and then making inquiries. The constable, however, was satisfied the man was sober and all right, and the guards had nottold him of any of tho evente which had drawn their attention to the man. Tn the light of after information the constable had made an error of judcrment; but it was an error which was not blameable. and mights have been made by an export. Deceased; was suffering from senile dementis and had evidently wandered on the railway from th<% Leviathan Hotel. The formal verdict would be one of accidental death.