HEAD CRUSHED IN

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17181, 11 February 1930, Page 10

HEAD CRUSHED IN

CONTRACTOR’S DEATH INQUEST ADJOURNED Awaiting' medical evidence, the coryiier, Mr. 1\ H. Harper, S.M., adjourned the inquest, yesterday into the circumstances .surrounding the death of Michael O’Grady, 72, who was hilled at Jvopna yesterday morning. The deceased was riding on a dray with his nephew when the horse which was trailing the vehicle, when passing a lorry, backed over the hank, with tile result that, o’Grady's head was crushed in hy the dray as it- overturned. At, the inquest held nt the Mnriwai Hotel yesterday, Constable ■ Skinner, of Kopua, represented the police. The driver of the vehicle in which lus uncle met Ins death, John O’Grady, staled that at about 7.20 a.m. yesterday he was driving a one-horse dray along the Whareruta station access road towards the main road, with the deiceasod. When approaching a bend in the road, about three-quarters of a mile from the main road he noticed a lorry about 2Coyds. distant which appeared to he stationary. Witness continued on, and when the' dray had approached to within about 15yds. he got out with the intention of leading the horse past the lorry. Michael White, who was also in the dray, got out too. When witness reached the horse's head the animal backed a few yards, and the wheels of the dray slipped over the hank, which was steep at, this spot. Witness had hold of the reins at the time, hut the horse appeared to be collar-proud, and continued to bade, and the weight of the dray pulled him over the bank. The dray then capsized twice sideways, and came, to rest about 40ft. down fbe bank, upside down. Witness went down the. bank immediately, and with the assistance of the other men lifted the drav on to its side, and found the deceased lying underneath. He noticed that OGrady s head was hadlv smashed, and bis brains were protruding. No part of the dray was lying on the deceased, but witness noticed blood and hair on fbe guardirons on the rail, and the deceased had apparently been struck on the bead by this as Hie dray turned over. The horse, was badly injured and bad to be destroyed. There was plenty of room to pass the lurry where it, had pulled up on the road, and witness was satisfied that Ihe driver of the lorry look every precaution when be saw the dray approaching. David Wilkie, a lorry driver employed nt Kopua, slated that at 7.20 a.ni. he was driving along the Wharerata station access road, and when lie. came to e bend about three-quarters of a. mile from the main road he saw a horse and dray coining towards him a bon I 200yds. distant. Witness pulled the lorry right over to the lell-hand side, of'.the "road in let the dray pass easily. There were, three men in the drav at the time. When the, drav came within five yards of the lorry the horse began to back; Hie engine of the lorry was running at t Jit* time, the horse did not appear to bo frightened of th<> lorry, hut was evidently collar-proud. When the horse started to back Jack O’Gitudy. the driver, and Michael White got out. and both hold of Mie horse by the bead and tried to bold il The horse then appeared to become excited, and backed right over the edge of Iho bank, which Was steep at that point. The dray hacked down a few feet, and the horse was .facing uphill. The dray tipped over to the left, and ns it did so the man who was still in it jumped out the way the drav was hilling. Witness did not see whether or not. the dray fell on him. The dray» rolled over twice and came to rest upside down about 40ft. below ( lie road. The lorry was (ravelling at about eight, fo 10 miles an hour when witness first saw the dray approaching, and there was ample room for the dray to. pass. Corroborative evidence was given by Walter James (Michael) While, who was nlso riding in the dray, and Robert Wilkie, a passenger on the lorry.