"Fall From Taxi - The Coroner found that Gordon Andrew Mackintosh, a soldier, aged 25 years, died of laceration of the brain, associated with haemorrhage within the skull, sustained while riding In a taxi when Mackintosh, apparently in error, opened the back door and fell heavily on to the bitumen roadway. Hubert Charles Robison, a taxi-driver and storekeeper, stated that on December 31, about 11.20 p.m., he was requested to drive four soldiers back to camp. About 400 yards from the camp he felt a rush of wind from the rear door and on looking round saw one of the passengers being thrown out on to the road as the right-hand door flew open. He seemed to land on the back of his head and shoulders. Sergeant C. McRae said that the three other soldiers in the car were now overseas, but statements had been obtained from them. “The cow-catcher of the trailer  (sic) seemed to catch Lawrence on the hip. and he was dragged about 10 feet before the tram stopped,” said William Francis Maurice, during the inquest into the death of Henry Lawrence, a hotel porter, aged 66 years, for whose relatives Mr E. S. Bowie appeared. Lawrence was the last passenger to disembark when the tram was in the Square, and the motorman was not looking out when the passengers were getting off, said Maurice. The Christchurch Tramways Board was represented by Mr L. A. Dougall. It was found that on January 24, Lawrence met his death from shock, associated with internal injuries, sustained when, while alighting from a trailer (sic), he appeared to become caught in part of the tram and was dragged for a short distance. "

PRESS, VOLUME LXXVIII, ISSUE 23581, 7 MARCH 1942, PAGE 9