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Full Details

Surname
HIGGINSON
Forename
Thomas
Day
10
Month
11
Year
1908
Age
31
Occupation
Shunter
Mine/Quarry Name
Shelton, Deep Pit
Mineral Worked
Coal
Owner
Shelton Iron, Steel & Coal Co. Ltd
Location
Hanley
County
Staffordshire
Details of Event
A locomotive was pushing a train of 12 empty trucks round a curve of 4 chains radius and up a gradient rising 1 in 40. Deceased was standing upon the cast-iron box of the spring buffer in front of the leading truck, and on the inner side of the curve. He stood with one foot in front of the other and with his back against the end of the truck, but was not apparently holding on by anything. The trucks were moving at a speed of 5 or 6 miles per hour. A weighing clerk, who witnessed the accident, had just remarked ‘Does that not seem to be a dangerous practice?’ when the front wheels of the leading truck dropped off the rails. Deceased fell immediately in front of it and before he could get out of the way the truck passed over him, killing him on the spot. The truck was a new one and the most probable cause of the derailment was the tightness of the bearings and the newness of the wheels preventing them from skidding on the rails. There was no reason why deceased should not have been inside of the truck.