Frederick Newman (buried 1911)

Worthing Gazette 22 Mar 1911 "The Sudden Snowstorm and a Sad Fatality"

An inquiry into the circumstances into the death of Frederick Newman, a lad of seventeen years of age who died as a result of a collision with a cart in the sudden snowstorm of last week, was held in the boardroom of the hospital on Thursday afternoon by the Coroner for West Sussex Mr F W Butler. The Father's Formal Identification - Frederick Newman the father of the deceased deposed that he lived at 27 The Drive and that his son was seventeen years of age. He followed the calling of a painter and paper hanger. On Tuesday morning the deceased left home at about a quarter past six. Frederick John Parsons, a carman living at 62 Orme Road said that on Tuesday morning at about half past eight o'clock, he was driving an empty cart on his way to West Worthing Brickyard. At the time of the accident he was in Tarring Road and was standing up in the cart. The wind was then blowing hard and it was snowing thickly. He was not looking ahead but had his face turned southwards away from the driving snow. He was on the nearside of the road. Witness did not hear a bicycle bell, neither did he see anyone coming. His horse was at a walking pace and suddenly it ran backwards and turned round in a northerly direction. Witness then saw a man on the ground with a bicycle near him. As he did not get up, witness got out of his cart and went to his aid. The lad was quite conscious and the witness got him into a nearby house at the roadside. The witness felt a bump before the horse ran backwards. Gertrude Annie Ede residing at “Northfield” Tarring Road said she heard a young man calling to a horse on the morning in question. She went to the front door and saw the last witness who asked if he might bring the lad in. The deceased was then carried into the house and the doctor was immediately sent for. The lad was conscious all the time but all he said was “I went clean into him”. The deceased also added that he was riding in a crouching position. John Mason, a gardener of 12 Lanfranc Road said he was in Tarring Road on Tuesday morning and saw two carts on the left hand side of the road going in a westerly direction. Next witness saw one of the carts turn towards the line and he also saw someone rolling on the ground. The weather was dreadful just about that time. Mr Edgar Hubert Good a medical man said he was called to see the lad at Mrs Ede's house at about twenty minutes to nine. The lad was suffering severely from shock. He saw the deceased later in the day when he was considerably worse. He then ordered his removal to hospital. Ellen Burford the Matron at the hospital gave formal proof of the time of the deceased's death. He told her he was riding his bicycle with his head down on account of the snowstorm. He thought the shaft must have struck him. Dr Hinds a member of the medical staff at the hospital deposed that he attended the deceased soon after three o'clock on Tuesday. He was suffering badly from shock which it was thought was due to internal bleeding. After treatment he improved and it was judged to be advisable to operate to arrest the bleeding. At the operation it was found that the bleeding was coming from a large tear in the liver which it was not possible to stop and the lad died a quarter of an hour afterwards. Death was due to a haemorrhage of the ruptured liver. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death and exonerated the driver of the cart from any blame.