Guidewire thought to be ‘no hazard’
A fencing guide wire that caused a fatal riding accident was not viewed as a hazard by the contractor who left it out over night, a coronial inquest in the Christchurch District Court has heard.
Yesterday, Paul Addie told the inquest into the death of Nicola Pellett, 47, that he did not expect people to be riding horses in the section of the Mandeville sports grounds on which he was working in early August 2015.
So he left the guide wire – there for a new fence – out overnight.
The following morning, Pellett and a friend were riding in the area when Pellett’s horse stood on the wire, knocking her off and causing a fatal head injury. She was placed in an induced coma and died five days later.
Addie said he had been contracted to a range of jobs at the Swannanoa facility, including erecting a new fence. He began work on it during the afternoon of August 5 and left the guide wire out when he left that evening, planning to be back early the following morning.
However, due to a frost he did not return at the time he expected to.
Addie said he understood members of clubs based at the sports complex had been told that he was working there and to avoid the area, so he did not think the wire was going to be a significant risk.
He only found out after the accident that the grounds were a public reserve.
If he had known the paddock where he was working would be used by people riding horses he would not have left the wire out, Addie told the Coroner Sue Johnson. Addie did not put up signs telling people to keep out.
The accident led Addie to change his approach to site safety. He told the court that he was now ‘‘over-cautious’’ about any potential risks.
Yesterday’s proceedings were a resumption of an inquest that was adjourned in May.