Aunt’s death prompts change to dangerous intersection

It’s been nearly a year since Margaret Ohuka’s death in a bizarre accident caused by a careless driver who failed to properly give way at the intersection of Awapuni and Stanley roads. Since then, her niece Sara McPhail has successfully campaigned to have the intersection changed to a compulsory stop. From left, Tessa Kerr, Tangi Ohuka (Margaret’s sister) and Sara McPhail returned to the intersection yesterday, with a photograph of Margaret. Picture by Paul Rickard

The niece of a woman who died after being struck by her own vehicle in a collision caused by a careless driver on Awapuni Road, has successfully campaigned for a change to nearby road signage.

Determined not to let her aunt Margaret Ohuka’s death be in vain, Sara McPhail made it her mission to see the Give Way signs at the Stanley Road/Awapuni Road intersections changed to compulsory stops.

Mrs McPhail recently received the good news that her voice had been heard and the signage and road markings had been changed.

It comes as she and her whānau face the upcoming anniversary of Ms Ohuka’s death.

“This shines a little bit of light for our whānau as the one-year anniversary of my aunty’s passing is quickly approaching.”

Her aunt was an innocent pedestrian simply “in the wrong place at the wrong time and paid the ultimate price,” Mrs McPhail said.

Ms Ohuka, who was 63, suffered a traumatic brain injury and died in Waikato Hospital the day after the incident outside the Truckstop café, at the corner of Awapuni and Stanley Roads, on October 7, last year.

At about 10am, she was standing on the pavement near her parked car when it was suddenly shunted off the road into her.

The driver responsible had turned left onto Awapuni Road from Stanley Road after failing to adequately give way at the intersection to a vehicle that passed from her right. She rear-ended it, causing it to veer left into Ms Ohuka’s car.

Subsequently pleading guilty to careless use of a vehicle causing death — a charge that carries a maximum penalty of three months’ imprisonment or a fine of up to $4500 – the driver was sentenced to 100 hours community work and six months supervision, with a six-month driver disqualification.

Mrs McPhail was disappointed with the low sentence even though she knew the charge only carried a limited penalty.

Determined to deal with that disappointment and her grief over her aunt’s death in a positive way, Mrs McPhail embarked on some research which revealed that particular intersection was “notoriously dangerous”.  She hoped that lobbying to have the Give Way changed to a compulsory stop, might prevent someone else’s whānau from suffering a similar tragedy.

She wanted to alert the public to the change so that everyone was aware of it.

Mrs McPhail believed there needed to be greater awareness within the Gisborne community of the care needed when operating motor vehicles.

“We need to bring awareness to the dangers our pedestrians face and to plead with our community to take more care while operating motor vehicles.”