Three Men Injured when Train Strikes Jigger

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 38, 7 May 1927, Page 1

Three Men Injured when Train Strikes Jigger

Accident on Main Trunk Three men were injured last n ight when a train struck a “jigger” on the Main Trunk line between Rukuhia and Ohaupo.

(From Our Own Correspondent .) HAMILTON, To-day.

A serious a.ccident occurred on the railway line between Rukuhia and Ohaupo about eight o’clock last night, when a train from Frankton struck a jigger on which three men were riding. The conditions were misty, and the men failed to notice the approaching train. Jack Hamilton, aged 25 years, sustained a compound fracture of the right leg and injuries to his hand and head, while Charles Sleeth, aged 45 years, had a fracture (possibly a compound one) of his right leg.

The injured men were placed in the guard's van on the Te Kuiti train and conveyed to Frankton. Their condition is fair, but both are undergoing an operation in the Waikato Hospital this morning. The third man, Surfaceman Tulloch, escaped with minor injuries. The collision took place a few yards north of Ohaupo railway yard. The men were proceeding north to Rukuhia, having been to Ohaupo for stores and wages. It seems they mistook the engine headlight for the station distant signal. The permanent way was not damaged, and there was only a minor delay in traffic.