Coroner unable to pinpoint why car spun out

Coroner Brandt Shortland.

The driver of a car that crashed near Kaeo, killing himself and his passenger, was over the legal alcohol limit and speeding, but what caused the car to lose traction may never be known, a coroner has ruled.

Vernon Lawrence-Samuels and Ryan Tahi Wikaira were born minutes apart at the same hospital and just after midnight on May 30, 2014, they died together when the 1997 Honda Accord driven by Mr Lawrence-Samuels lost control on State Highway 10 south of Kaeo.

The car crossed the centre line and clipped the right rear of a trailer being towed north. It then spun out of control into the path of a Ford Courier ute. Both men died at the scene.

Coroner Brandt Shortland said these were tragic and unnecessary deaths, but there was no information as to why the car lost control.

"It cannot be ruled out that the surface irregularity has caused the car to be unstable as the vehicle has passed over it in excess of 120km/h," Mr Shortland said. "It also must be acknowledged that Mr Lawrence-Samuels has an excessive blood alcohol level, which cannot be ignored in the circumstances ... It is most fortunate that no one else was killed or seriously injured in the crash, particularly [the man towing the trailer and his wife who was driving the ute]."

Mr Shortland said the deceased, and a third person in the car who was uninjured, had been at training at the Kaeo Rugby Club earlier that evening. They finished training about 7.30pm and went into the clubrooms and drank beer with their teammates. Some in the group also consumed a cannabis joint during the evening.

The trio left in the car together about 11.15pm, heading to Kerikeri to get some food. Post-mortem toxicology tests showed that Mr Lawrence-Samuels had a blood alcohol level of 104 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood - the legal limit for motorists aged 20 and above at the time was 80mg. Mr Shortland ruled that both men died as a result of blunt force trauma caused by the crash.

There were no mechanical faults that contributed to the crash, but police highlighted a number of possible factors, including the driving of Mr Lawrence-Samuels, the wet weather and road surface and irregularities with the road surface. Police said it was possible the car lost control after passing over the road surface irregularity which could have caused instability in the vehicle.

That bit of irregularity was found to be a factor in two crashes at the spot in the previous two weeks and as a result the road was repaired under urgency.

Mr Lawrence-Samuels and Mr Wikaira were lifelong friends born on the same day - March 4, 1991 - at the same hospital. They were buried in the same cemetery.