PAPANUI FATALITY.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume III, Issue 787, 18 August 1916, Page 8

PAPANUI FATALITY.

INQUEST ADJOURNED. An inquest touching the death of William Rutherford Paterson, who was admitted to the Hospital on Sunday morning in an unconscious condition, having apparently fallen from a trai.i at Papanui the previous night, was held yesterday by the Coroner, Mr T. A. B. Bailey. James Paterson, of IS7 Redruth Avenue, said he was a brother of the deceased, who had been a pattern-maker at the Belfast Freezing Works. He resided at Belfast. Witness knew nothing about the accident, and said that his brother was a man of sober habits. Dr W. 11. Will, house surgeon at the Christchureh Hospital, gave evidence that deceased was admitted to the Hospital on August 13, in an unconscious condition, suffering from injuries to his head and neck. There was a fracture of the base of the skull. Dr Guthrie deposed that he also saw deceased, and endorsed the previous witness's opinion. Deceased did not properly regain consciousness, and he died at 8.25 p.m. on August 16. The cause of death was a fracture of the base of the skull. The Coroner adjourned the inquest till Wednesday, at 3 p.m., in the Courthouse, pending further inquiries as to the circumstances of deceased's death.