Wiltshire Coroner's Inquests 1801-1920 Coroner's Inquests 1801-1920 for Wiltshire

Tutt, Arthur           1914 Sep 11^th         Tisbury

 

Accident to a Steam Lorry

 

An inquest was held at the Infirmary on Monday evening, concerning the death of Arthur Tutt, aged 21, of West Street, Fisherton, who died on the previous day from injuries sustained in connection to a mishap to a motor lorry at Tisbury, upon which he was acting as steersman, on Thursday, August 13^th. The distressing affair has involved the loss of two lives, for the driver of the lorry, a young man named William Barnett, of Over Wallop, was killed on the spot. The unfortunate young man, Tutt, received such severe injuries that he never fully regained consciousness and died at the Infirmary on Sunday.

 

The City Coroner (Mr S Buchanan Smith) presided at the inquest, and Mr A G Redman was foreman of the jury. Mr P D Aylward (of the firm of Messrs J H King and Aylward) represented Mr J Salter, the owner of the vehicle.

 

Charles George Tutt, engineer, of 6, West Street, Fisherton, stated that on August 13^th Mr Salter told him that there had been a serious accident at Tisbury, in which his son was injured, and later, accompanied by Mr Salter, jnr, he went to the spot. His son was 21 years of age, and assisted him in his business, and on this particular day he was acting as steersman on Mr Salter’s lorry. Questioned by the Coroner as to whether his son was in Mr Salter’s employ, the witness said his son was in his (witness’s) employ, but he had lent him to Mr Salter. He lent him for the day, but he was in his (witness’s) employ. On arriving at Wardour they found the driver, a man named Barnett, dead ; and his son was lying in a farmer’s house, just alive. He was brought to Salisbury Infirmary on Saturday, August 15^th.

 

Mrs Clara Parmiter stated that her husband was a farmer at Wardour, and on Thursday, August 13^th, in consequence of a report made to her, she went to Highwood Lane, Wardour. She saw an engine with one man lying underneath it, and he died soon after her arrival. She also found the other man, Arthur Tutt, further on. She sent for her husband and they did what they could for Tutt, who was bleeding profusely and was in danger of being smothered by the congealed blood in which his face was lying. Nothing was said as to how the accident happened. Tutt lay in her house for two nights because the doctor said he was not in a fit condition to be removed. He did not recover consciousness. He asked for water, but always appeared dazed.

 

Replying to the foreman, the witness said the motor lorry was travelling down hill when the accident happened.

 

Winifred Austridge, daughter of Henry Austridge, of Wardour, stated that on Thursday, August 13^th, at 3.15pm, she was some little distance from Highwood Lane, and heard a loud report like a gun, only much louder. She saw a cloud of steam go up into the trees and she heard a lot of hissing as if steam were escaping from an engine. She did not know what it was, nor did she go for anybody or send for anybody.

 

A Juror : Why didn’t you send for someone? I didn’t see the engine. I just saw the steam coming from the engine.

 

Augustine Witt, farm labourer, of Wardour, stated that on the afternoon of Thursday, August 13^th, he was in his father’s house, close to the lane when he heard some steam escaping from an engine. He went down the lane and saw the engine on the right of the lane. There was a man lying against one of the hind wheels, nearly dead. He ran as fast as he could to Mrs Parmiter’s and told her what had happened, and she came and did all she could.

 

Replying to the foreman of the jury, the witness said the lane was about eleven feet wide, and the front left wheel was in the bank. There was no steam hissing from the engine when he arrived.

 

Continuing his evidence, the witness said he ran for Mr Parmiter, who came, and they pulled the man out from underneath the wheel. He did not speak to Tutt, who was unconscious. He did not see anything like a plug on the road, which had blown from the engine.

 

Dr Du Toit, house surgeon at Salisbury Infirmary, stated that Tutt was brought to the Infirmary on August 15^th. He was suffering from a wound on the left side of the head, and the upper half of the left ear was torn off. There was a small superficial wound on the right side of the head. He was semi-conscious, and was going on quite well till August 27^th, when an operation was required. It was as successful as it could be, but it was only partially successful, and Tutt, gradually getting worse, died on Sunday. He was then unable to give the cause of death, and, on the Coroner’s certificate, had made a post mortem examination. He found that death was due to the fracture of the base of the skull. The injuries could have been caused by a fall. Tutt partially recovered consciousness, but he knew nothing about the accident.

 

The Foreman : Do you think that something which blew from the engine caused the fracture? No, it could not have caused the fracture.

 

The Coroner : Falling from the engine might have caused a fracture of the base of the skull? Yes.

 

Replying to a juror, the doctor said that Tutt was not scalded at all.

 

The Coroner, in intimating that he did not propose to call any further evidence, said he had not gone as fully into the matter as he might have done, because it was gone into very fully on the inquest into the other man who was killed. All he wanted to find out was the cause of death.

 

The jury returned a verdict of accidental death and passed a vote of thanks to Mr and Mrs Parmiter for the assistance they gave.

 

Mr Aylward said he desired to express, on Mr Salter’s behalf, regret at the accident which had resulted in the loss of two lives, and he also desired to express his thanks to Mrs Parmiter for keeping the unfortunate young man in the house until he was fit to be removed to the Infirmary.

 

The jury decided to give their fees to the Prince of Wales’ National Relief Fund.