WANTWOOD FATALITY
INQUEST PROCEEDINGS. THE TRACTOR ACCIDENT (From our Correspondent.) An inquest was held at Mandeville yesterday morning, before Mr A. Martin, District Coroner, into the circumstances of the death of Mr William Crawford, who met with a fatal accident at Wantwood on Tuesday while working a motor tractor. Sergeant Tonkinson, of Gore, watched proceedings on behalf of the police. A. D. Crawford, senr., father of the deceased, stated that his son was 26 years of age, and had two young children. The deceased had had experience four years ago with a tractor at Clydevale. George H. Carter said he passed the place where Crawford was working between 10.30 and 11 a.m. The machine was in a low part of the paddock, and Crawford was doing something to it. J. H. McLeod said deceased was employed on contract work by his brother. He saw deceased at work with the tractor and discs about 9 o’clock. As deceased did not come in to dinner at the usual time witness went out to the road about 12.30 to see what was keeping him. He at. once saw that the machine was upset and that something was wrong. Going down the paddock he found Crawford lying dead under the machine. He summoned assistance and deceased was released from under the machine. The engine was lying across his chest, and an iron stay or bent bar was under his back. The man was dead. The engine was disconnected, and it appeared to witness that when deceased put on the power the engine up-ended and fell back on him. The ground was boggy and soft, and the wheels had sunk down. H. Hazlett, motor engineer, said his work was to give demonstrations and tuition to purchasers of tractors, etc. He had examined the machine that morning, and also the condition of the ground where the accident had occurred. The tractor and engine were up to the axle in the bog. The bog was peaty, and the machine went through the plough furrow. The deceased had placed a large piece of wood in front of the off driving wheel. The wheel had a firm grip on the wood. The near wheel had been spinning round in the soft ground, and to prevent this the deceased had evidently hitched a strong chain around one spoke of the wheel and fastened the other end of the chain to something else, probably the foot rest of the tractor. All the power would then be concentrated on the- other wheel, with the result that the engine would either have to stop or up-end and fall over on the deceased. The throttle of the machine was full open, and the machine was in low gear. In his opinion deceased was • giving his attention to the chain instead of to the clutch. He could have instantly put his foot on the clutch, and the machine would have dropped back into position. Sergeant Tonkinson gave formal evidence. Deceased aparently had his neck broken and chest badly crushed, as well as other injuries. He considered deceased had been dead about three hours. The Coroner returned a verdict that William Crawford was working a motor tractor at Wantwood Station on September 9 when it up-ended, fell back on him, and killed him.
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Bibliographic details
Southland Times, Issue 19346, 11 September 1924, Page 4
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547WANTWOOD FATALITY Southland Times, Issue 19346, 11 September 1924, Page 4
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