South Yorkshire Times, February 9th, 1934
Broken Swing
Conanby Child’s Sad Death
The death of Iris Bramhall (4), daughter of John Arthur Bramhall, miner, 4 Conan Road, Conisboro’, was inquired into by Mr. W. H. Carlile on Tuesday. The child was swinging on a rope while at play on Saturday afternoon when the rope broke and she fell, striking her head on the ground.
The mother, Ellen Lucy Bramhall said Iris was playing with a neighbour’s little girl, Doreen Darley, and they attached a rope of the kind used round orange boxes to the gate-post at the front of the house, and she saw them swinging on it. Later Doreen brought Iris in and said she had fallen. Iris said the rope had broken. There was a small, clean cut at the back of the child’s head. Witness bathed it and put the child to bed.
She seemed all right next morning, got up as usual, had her meals, attended Sunday School. But in the evening, she complained of pains in the stomach and became sick. Witness put her to bed and called in Dr. Clark, who prescribed complete quiet. The child slept “on and off” during the night, but at 8 on Monday morning her father noticed that she was worse and the doctor was again called in. Dr. Bell attended on this occasion and gave instructions to witness’s sister-in-law, Nurse Wall. The child died at 9-50 that morning.
Dr. D. T. Clark said he suspected some injury to the brain when he saw the child on Sunday evening but did not think anything could have been done by rushing the child off to hospital, or he would have done so. In cases of even minor head injuries, it was always best for the patient to be put straight to bed and kept there absolutely quiet, even without food, for two or three days. In this case the child would probably have died even had he been called immediately the accident happened.
A post-mortem examination revealed hemorrhage at the base of the brain and death was due to compression caused by the hemorrhage.
Mr. Carlile, recording a verdict of “Accidental Death,” said it was a very sad case and tendered his sympathy to the parents.