INQUEST.

Western Star, Issue 280, 18 January 1879, Page 6

INQUEST.

An inquest was held at Otaitai Bush on Thursday last, before J .N. Wood,Esq., 8.M., into the cause of the death of John Hayes, who died there on Tuesday evening, from the effects of injuries received from a dray passing over him. The following gentlemen were empanelled as a Jury:—Messrs Eowles (foreman), C. E. Cameron, Morgan Hayes, John Boniface, Johnston, Thurgood, Eraser, Marsh, J. Eoderique, Mauging, Hitchcock, and Murdoch. Depositions as follows were taken: Alexander Frew : I knew the deceased. On Tuesday afternoon I went with deceased to obtain a load of firewood. On returning I stopped the horse outside the fence close to the house and I went on top of the wood to throw it off. Deceased was standing behind the dray when I went on the load. He asked me if I was going to take the leader off. I said no; there is no danger. I said if you think there is any danger you can go to the horse’s head and take the reins. I had hung the reins of the leader on the hames of the shaft horse, and he went to take them off. T had commenced to throw the load off when I felt the dray move, and I looked down towards deceased. He had the near rein in his baud and the other loose, He hud pulled the rein in his hand, and the horse began to pull, coming round towards him. I called out to him to catch hold of the other rein and straighten the horse. He pulled the near rein more which brought the horse nearer to deceased. I noticed him while in the act of falling and I got off the dray as quick as I could. When I got off he was behind the dray and trying to raise himself up. I raised him up and with my and his wife’s assistance he walked to the house. He was lying on the spot where the near wheel would have gone over him. He said he was done for, and that the wheel went square over him. Deceased said he put his foot in a small ditch and fell. The leader is a young horse. I have been working him for twelve mouths. He is quiet. To the Jury: The reins were single. He said he had the two reins at first, but one of them fell out of his bauds. lam married to his daughter, Ha was 72 years of age, aud is a native of Ireland. As soon as I got the leader unhooked, I sent for the doctor. F. A. Monckton: —l am a legally qualified practitioner residing at Eiverton. On 14th instant I was called by last witness to see the deceased. I found he had two ribs broken on the right side. There were no other external'marks of injury, and no symptom of other internal injury, I bandaged him, and had an inclined plane fitted in his bod for him to lay in the appropriate manner. I formed the opinion that the great danger was from the shock at his age, viz,, 72 years. He died that evening. I believe his death resulted from the injury of a loaded dray passing over him, as stated by himself to me, and do not attribute any fault to any person, but that his foot got into a hole or drain. The Jury returned a verdict to the effect—That deceased came to his death by a loaded dray passing over his body by accident, and not otherwise.