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Articles
Somerset
County Gazette Saturday Sep/Oct 1963
Hospital patient dies
after accident
Weak Heart Prevented Recovery
An 81-year old resident of Halse Manor Hospital, Mr Henry Thomas OATEN who died five days after a road accident, had been suffering from progressive heart failure for some time.
This was stated at the Taunton inquest on Tuesday by a pathologist Dr C. E. M. WARE, who said that a man with a normal heart would have survived the accident. The cause of death was a blood clot in the chest resulting from a leg injury, consistent with his having been struck on the back of the right thigh by a slow-moving vehicle.
The accident happened when Mr. OATEN, a retired timber merchant's foreman, formerly of Wood Street, Taunton, was out for his daily walk near the hospital. The driver of a bread van Mr William GUEST of Hoopern Street, Exeter said he saw Mr. OATEN walking towards him while his van was travelling at about 20 m.p.h. Suddenly, Mr. OATEN dashed across the road when the van was only a short distance away.
A passenger in the van, Mr. James WALTERS, of Beacon Lane, Exeter said Mr GUEST did everything humanly possible to avoid a collision. He swerved to the offside and braked, but the nearside of the van struck Mr. OATEN.
Returning a “misadventure” verdict, the jury suggested that notices should be put up near the hospital that it was a hospital for aged people. The foreman added that the jury did not think such notices would necessarily have helped to avoid this particular accident.
<NOTES: Henry Thomas or Harry OATEN son of Henry Thomas OATEN and Ellen TALBOT, married Elizabeth Stella or Stella Elizabeth FOURACRE>