Accident - on Monday John Croasdell of Garden Terrace, Ulverston a youth employed as an errand boy with Messrs Dickinson & Sons, provision merchants, Queen Street, had the misfortune to fall from the warehouse floor into the yard, alighting upon his head and sustaining concussion of the skull. He was taken to the Cottage Hospital and is, we understand, doing as well as can be expected.
THE INQUEST
Yesterday afternoon before Mr Coroner Poole and a jury of whom Mr Thomas Birkett was foreman, an Inquest was held at the Cottage Hospital, Ulverston, on the body of a boy named John Croasdell, aged 13 years, residing at No 53 Upper Sun street.
It appears the deceased was formerly employed as an errand boy by Messrs Dickinson Bros., grocers, Queen Street, and on the morning of the 11th May last he was engaged in carrying some empty paper bags from the shop to an upper room by a steep ladder, when he appeared to have missed his footing and fallen on his head, which came in contact with the lift, which was standing about 2½ feet above the shop floor. He then rolled over and fell into the cellar. It was found that the boy had a wound on the left side of the head which bled freely. Dr Ashburner was called in, and deceased was removed to the hospital, from which he was discharged on the 29th June, then appearing to be all right again. About two months afterwards, however, the wound gathered and the boy grew so much worse that on the 5th Inst. he was again admitted to the hospital. He was then nearly blind, and on the 6th Drs Ashburner and Anderson performed an operation on him. He, however, grew gradually worse, and expired on Wednesday.
Evidence in accordance with the above facts was given by Sarah Croasdell, mother of the deceased, and Thos. Woodburn, Stanley Street, aged 16 years, in the employ of Messrs Dickinson, who said he saw the deceased tumble on to the lift, striking his head. He then fell into the cellar through the lift well. He did not see him fall off the ladder. He thought he had fallen from the top. He was picked up insensible and taken to the hospital. The ladder was perpendicular. The cage of the lift was partly below and partly above the shop floor. The bag the deceased had been carrying fell into the cellar. He thought the deceased missed his footing in stepping off the ladder into the upper room.
James Dickinson, one of the partners of the firm, said he heard the noise of the deceased falling, and on going to see what was the matter he found him lying in the cellar. The ladder was fixed to the legs of the lift, which ran from cellar to roof. The ladder was perpendicular, and was close against the cage and the wall. The present ladder had been used three or four years. The length of the ladder was about 30ft. The instructions given to the deceased were to use the lift and not the ladder when he had anything to carry up or down. He had used the lift the same morning in bringing down bags. He had frequently stopped deceased using the ladder when he should have used the lift. The ladder was necessary as well as the lift because when the lift was engaged at the top they often wanted to be on the other floor. The lift was disengaged when the deceased went up on this particular occasion.
The Coroner having briefly summed up, the jury returned a verdict to the effect that the deceased had died from the effects of injuries accidentally received on the 11th May last.