A well-known New Zealand Athletics official and judge has been named as the person killed in an e-scooter accident in Christchurch last week.
Police have confirmed that 57-year-old local Kathryn Fraser died after being struck by a van.
The police investigation into the crash is ongoing.
“Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones,” a police spokesperson said.
Fraser worked in an administration role for ARA Institute of Canterbury but had developed a reputation for her work in the country’s race-walking scene.
A short statement from Race Walking Wellington acknowledged Fraser’s tragic passing.
“We are saddened to receive the news of the passing of well-known New Zealand official and Race Walk judge Kathryn Fraser,” the statement read.
A prominent figure in the athletics community, Fraser was an Oceania area walks judge and made regular appearances at Athletics Canterbury and Athletics New Zealand events.
Fraser was a walks judge, chief walks judge and assistant chief track umpire at New Zealand track and field championships between 2010 and 2021.
In 2018 she was selected as an official at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
ARA Institute announced that the year prior she’d initially applied to attend the games as a track umpire and she was “thrilled” when the International Association of Athletics Federation offered her a judging role.
She’d spent eight years previously as an international umpire and was considered one of the country’s top track officials.
Fraser officiated the 2011 World Para Athletics Championship and the 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa.
Athletics New Zealand paid homage to her glittering athletics career, with an appointment as chairwoman of the Athletics New Zealand Officials Association in 2015.
In July 2021, Fraser led the charge to see it become an incorporated society and obtain grant funding so officials could be provided accommodation while travelling to national championships.
She also organised wet weather jackets for all officials, and all-weather folders.
On Wednesday, August 30, Fraser was hit by a van while riding an e-scooter.
The collision happened at the intersection of Linwood Ave and Avonside Drive in eastern Christchurch. It was reported to emergency services around 6.45am.
A local pharmacy, located 20m down the road, had its sliding door smashed in.
Elliot McKenzie, the pharmacy’s manager, told the Herald it was his understanding that the member of the public who broke into the building was hunting for an automatic defibrillator.
“They made the sensible assumption we would have one, but unfortunately we didn’t,” he said.
“I’m not sure if it was a civilian or somebody directly involved, they just smashed in one of the doors.”
CPR was performed on Fraser but she subsequently died of her injuries.
The section of the road was closed off to the public while the police Serious Crash Unit investigated the scene to determine the circumstances of the incident.
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