He was taken to Muswellbrook Hospital nearby before being airlifted to the John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle, New South Wales, where he died.
It operated studios in Willow Tree (near Murrurundi) and Muswellbrook, and operated from transmitters serving both areas.
Supported by the Attorney General, John Plunkett, Gipps ordered Police Magistrate, Edward Denny Day at Muswellbrook, to investigate the massacre.