“The adjourned inquest with regard to the death of the New Plymouth soldier, J. W. Strood, who met his death through being injured by the tablet exchanger at the Moumahaki station, whilst travelling on the mail train to New Plymouth on the 8th inst., was held on Friday before Mr. E. F. Hemingway, coroner, when the following evidence was taken. Clarence Keats, engine driver on the New Zealand Railways, residing at 5 Gains Avenue, Wanganui, stated that:

He was the driver of the Wellington - New Plymouth express on May 8th, travelling to New Plymouth. Immediately after exchanging tablets at Moumahaki, he heard a thud, and on looking back saw a man hanging out from the side of the engine tender by one hand. It was quite evident that he had been struck by the tablet exchanger. Witness immediately went to his assistance and secured a hold on his right hand and helped him into the cab. Witness saw that he was badly injured and decided to keep him in the cab until the train reached Waverley so as to get medical attention, which was done. Witness had no idea that deceased was attempting to get from the carriage to the engine. The train was travelling at 40 miles per hour at the time of the accident.

Mr. Simmons stated that the deceased was admitted to the Patea Hospital at 6.30 p.m. on May 8th. He had a penetrating wound on the right side of his chest breaking a rib and injuring his right lung and his liver through the diaphragm. He also had a penetrating wound on the right side of his abdomen. He was operated on the same evening, but his condition remained serious and he died on May 16th at 11 a.m. The immediate cause of death was lieus or paralysis of function of his bowels due to the injury sustained in the accident. The coroner said the case was a simple one and it was quite clear how the deceased came by his death, which was due to no negligence on the part of the department or anyone else, but to the deceased’s action in climbing from the platform of a railway carriage on to the engine whilst it was travelling past the Moumahaki station . The verdict would be: "That the deceased James Walter Strood died at Patea on May 16th 1941, the cause of death being ileus, or paralysis and loss of function of the bowels, due to injuries sustained through coming into contact with a tablet exchanger at the Moumahaki railway station on May 8th, 1941”

PATEA MAIL, 26 MAY 1941, PAGE 2