Volume Twelve - Pre-Victorian to the Present Day - further aspects - Random Rants, Notes and Articles No.2 . .

Brookman was returning from the Low Level train foreman's cabin towards the Engineering Department foreman's Office and was walking along the full roads leading to No. 15 hoist, when he fell a distance of some eleven feet on to the empty road from No. 15 hoist sustaining severe injuries to his head which proved fatal on the following day.

The occurrence was not witnessed. It was a clear fine day, without wind.

When Brookman left the Engineering foreman's Office at 2.15 p.m. to proceed to the train foreman's office he was carrying an overcoat on his right shoulder. Shunter Jones found him on the empty road in a semi-conscious condition and near him were clear indications of where his head had been in contact with the rail and ground. Brookman's overcoat was found in the four-foot way of the empty road several yards nearer the train foreman's cabin than the marks where he had come in contact with the empty road.

No movement had been made on the date in question on the full or empty roads leading to and from No. 15 hoist. A train of empty wagons was drawn off No. 16 hoist empty road at 2.30 p.m.

It is conjecture but I think probable that Brookman was walking in the 3 feet 7 inches space on the outside of the right-hand full road of No. 15 hoist when the overcoat slipped off his right shoulder and as it was falling towards the empty road Brookman endeavoured to recover it and in doing so so overbalanced and fell head first to the lower level.

The accident may I think be attributed to accidental causes. - Wm. Worthy Cooke.

Railway accidents. Reports by the inspecting officers of railways of inquiries into accidents 1931-1932 - [1343] [499]