THE JESSOP HOSPITAL LIFT FATALITY
Yesterday morning, at the Royal Hospital, the City Coroner held an inquiry concerning the death of Alexander Morris Hutchings, who was killed through falling down the lift at the Jessop Hospial, Sheffield, on Sunday evening.
The Rev. J. E. Jump and Messrs. B. T. Burdekin and T. H. Waterhouse, members of the committee; Mr. A. W. Warner, the secretary; and Mr. A Howe, solicitor, represented the Hospital.
No one actually saw how the accident happened, and the evidence given was therefore circumstantial.
Deceased, who was 40 years of age, was a porter at the Jessop Hospital. He had only been there a fortnight. His home was in Derby. Shortly after six o’clock on Sunday evening he fell down the lift, and when picked up was unconscious. His collar-bone and shoulder-blade were broken. He died at about 10 o’clock the same night.
Matilda Elstone, housemaid, said she was on the ground floor when the accident occurred. She was passing the lift, and saw deceased hanging, head downwards, as she thought, between the lift and side of the well. He did not cry out or make any sound. The cage was going up at the time, and the man fell to the ground.
Mr. A. Howe: Are the gates to the lift kept locked?
Witness: Yes Tho house surgeon has one key.
Mr. A. W. Warner said he had made inquiries, and believed deceased entered the lift on the ground floor, and went up to the second floor to collect the letters. He then went down the staircase to the first floor, and proceeded to the lift again to descend to the ground floor. He found, of course, that the lift was at the top floor, where he had left it. He pulled the rope to lower it, but the cage went slightly below the level of the corridor, and he raised it again; this time too high, and, attempting to step in as it was moving up, he slipped and fell into the well underneath. Deceased had had special instructions as to the working of the lift. There were collapsible gates to the well on each of the three floors. There were three keys, which were kept by the house surgeon, the matron, and the porter respectively. No one was ever allowed go up in the lift unless accompanied by one of these three persons.
Mr. Burdekin expressed sincere regret on behalf the hospital authorities for the accident, and also expressed commiseration with the relatives of deceased.
A verdict of “Accidental death” was returned.
