FAIL FROM POLE

Southland Times, Issue 23693, 16 December 1938, Page 9

FAIL FROM POLE

FRACTURE OF SPINE CAUSES DEATH VERDICT AT INQUEST A verdict of death from a fracture of the spine caused by an accidental fall from a ladder while he was engaged in putting a cross bar on a power pole was returned by the Coroner (Mr R. C. Abernethy) yesterday at the inquest into the death of George Henry Baker, of Park street, Winton. Mr J. Tait appeared for the New Zealand Workers’ Union and Mr J. G. Imlay appeared for the widow. Edward Toner Ferrell, linesman employed by the Southland Electric Power Supply, said that on November 7 he was one of a gang working on the power line on the Castlerock side .of Dipton. Baker was a member of this gang. A cross arm had to be put on one of the power poles and Baker went up a ladder to do this job. The ladder was resting against the pole on the opposite side to the high tension wires. He did not actually see him go up the ladder and when he looked again to see how Baker was getting on he saw him falling. Baker fell on the side of the road on his back. He had a safety belt on. The witness noticed a rule lying on the ground about three or four feet from Baker. He examined the rule and found that it was burned. The marks on the rule were not there earlier in the day. The witness released the safety belt and went for assistance. There were signs of burns on Baker’s hands. William Watson, lines foreman, said that on November 7 he was in charge of a gang erecting new transformers. The gang was working on a line between Winton and Mossburn. The witness took some of the members of the gang with him to erect transformers on a certain part of the line and he left some of the men, including Baker, working on another part of the line. When he returned about 11 a.m. he found Baker injured. Baker told the witness that he had received a shock from the earth wire and had been thrown off the ladder. He did all he could for Baker and after he had been taken to hospital he examined the pole. He thought that the marks on the rule had been caused by contact with the live wire. There would be about 11,000 volts in the line, the rule came in contact with. Dr W. J. Barclay said he did not examine Baker for burns and did not have any recollection of seeing any burns on his hands. Dr Howard Hunter, house surgeon at the Southland Hospital, said that Baker had small abrasions on both hands. His lower limbs were completely paralysed because of his spinal cord having been crushed by a fracture of the spine. On November 26 Baker collapsed and died. In his opinion the abrasions on his hands were not burns.