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Coroner reveals details of fiery crash that killed three students
Trio were all from Singapore, travelling around NZ in a campervan
Police and Fenz investigations detailed in the report released today
Victim’s sister speaks about helping to identify badly damaged body
The last moments of three Singaporean students whose road trip around New Zealand ended in tragedy when their campervan went up in flames have been detailed in a Coroner’s report.
Sherwin Shi Yun Chong, Jia Jun Vincent Lim, and Xinyue Yang died on April 17, 2023 when their vehicle crashed into a guardrail by a bridge near Geraldine and rolled.
A Coroner has released a report detailing the cause of a crash that killed three students from Singapore near Geraldine in April 2023. Composite Photo / George Heard
Their deaths were referred to Coroner Alexandra Cunninghame, whose findings can now be published.
“At 1.03am Xinyue made a 111 call. She told the dispatcher she had been in an accident on the way to Geraldine, that she was a passenger in a campervan with two friends, and her friend was ‘caught’ and could not get out of the vehicle,” Coroner Cunninghame said.
“Forty seconds into the call, Xinyue told the dispatcher there was a fire.
“After this, screams and other noises could be heard, until the line went dead about three minutes into the call.”
Before the call cut out emergency services had been dispatched to the scene on State Highway 79, about 2km from Geraldine.
A fire crew arrived first at 1.13am and found the van - which had rolled onto the driver’s side - engulfed in flames.
“Once the fire was extinguished, the first responders established there was one person near the back of the van by the roof and two people in the front,” Coroner Cunninghame said.
“One was in the driver’s seat and the other had fallen towards the driver’s seat when the van rolled. All three bodies were so badly burned that they could not be identified.”
Emergency services at the scene of the fatal crash. Photo / George Heard
After extensive inquiries, authorities were able to ascertain which victim was where in the van.
“Sherwin was identified as the passenger in the rear of the van. Vincent was in the driver’s seat, and Xinyue was the front passenger,” the coroner said.
Post mortems were carried out on Chong and Yang, both 21 and Lim, 24.
“The pathologists noted extensive charring on all three bodies … all three individuals died from the effects of inhalation of smoke and fumes in an enclosed space,” Coroner Cunninghame said.
“Vincent had a modest acute subdural haemorrhage and minor pulmonary contusions, but he did not have any ‘fatal impact injuries’.”
The two young women did not have any life-threatening impact injuries.
None of the victims had any traces of alcohol or drugs in their system.
Chong and Yang were living in New Zealand and studying at the University of Otago and the University of Auckland, respectively.
Lim lived and studied in Singapore but on April 8 2023 arrived in New Zealand for a two-week holiday.
Chong met him at Christchurch and the two collected a Toyota Hiace campervan.
A road block near the scene just after the accident. Photo / George Heard
“On the rental agreement, Vincent [Lim] identified himself as the primary driver. They drove to Auckland where they met Xinyue, and the three then travelled back down New Zealand, sightseeing,” the report said.
“As the friends travelled around New Zealand, footage of their van was captured by CCTV at different locations. This footage indicates that one of the three usually travelled in the rear of the vehicle, with the other two in the front seats.”
On April 15 the friends went skydiving at Wanaka. Then at 11.40pm the next day the campervan was captured on CCTV travelling through Lake Tekapo village
What caused the crash? Two investigations reveal details
The Serious Crash Unit investigated the cause of the crash.
Senior Constable Aaron Tapp established Lim was driving at about 91km/h at the time of the crash, below the 100km/h speed limit.
“He had been recorded as the primary driver when the van was hired, and CCTV footage captured during the trio’s holiday showed him driving, and his body was in the driver’s seat,” the report stated.
Tapp said the road was dry and in good condition, the sky was clear and visibility was good.
The van was tested, and no mechanical faults found.
Tapp said there was no sign Lim braked or tried to correct the campervan before impact. The cause of the crash was likely fatigue.
“He also noted that it was possible that the others in the vehicle may have been sleeping…. (and) the time of night when the crash occurred meant that it was possible that Vincent had been awake for more than 12 hours,” the coroner said.
“Finally, Senior Constable Tapp’s opinion was that it was highly likely that Sherwin, Vincent and Xinyue would have survived the crash had the van not caught fire.”
An aerial view of SH79 south of Geraldine after the camper van crashed in the early hours of the morning of 17 April 2023. Photo / George Heard
Fire & Emergency NZ (Fenz) specialist fire investigator Craig Chambers attended the scene and later examined the van.
He quickly eliminated a gas or fuel leak as the cause of the fire.
The van had a house battery, used to power the living area of the van.
“Fire damage indicated that the fire started on or at floor level, in front of the wheel arch in the rear of the van and spread into the engine compartment.
“Mr Chambers’ opinion was that the probable cause of the fire was an electrical arc which was created when the house battery was displaced as the van collided with the road safety barrier.”
Despite two detailed investigations, neither police or Fenz had been able to explain why the three students could not get out of the van after the crash.
“Vincent may have been incapacitated by a head injury, but Xinyue was able to make a 111 call,” the coroner said.
“It is possible that the doors were too difficult to open once the van had tipped onto its side.
A crash barrier is mangled on the side of the road where the accident occurred. Photo / George Heard
“It would not have been possible for an emergency vehicle to be on the scene in time to get anyone out of the van before it caught fire, or to stop the fire once it started,.”
She ruled Chong, Lim and Yang all died from inhalation of smoke and fumes in an enclosed space after the accident.
“This tragic accident illustrates the importance of not driving when fatigued.
“All drivers, and particularly those who are planning road trips around New Zealand, must ensure that their itineraries allow sufficient time for rest and sleep so that they are not driving tired.
“I extend my condolences to the families and friends of Sherwin, Vincent, and Xinyue.”
Her mother had called her during class to tell her the bad news. The family initially suspected it was a scam.
On her way home, Shannon contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs officer who had first contacted her mother with the news.
“The way he explained was very detailed, so it was very real. He could also tell me some personal information about my sister, so I started to believe it. It started to sink in with me, that this is real,” Shannon told CNA.
“It was shocking... I think it was hard on my mum, she had to worry about her grief for my sister, and she also had to think about how to break the news to my dad... He’s a taxi driver ... she was scared that if she broke the news to him over the phone, it would be dangerous.”
Shannon was 17 at the time Chong died and had to be the conduit between her parents and police - as the former struggled with technology.
“I think that distracted me from confronting my own grief and emotions,” she told CNA.
She then took almost a month off school to assist authorities to identify her sister’s body, fly to New Zealand to collect the remains and organise a funeral for Chong in Singapore.
Shannon said her sister’s body “wasn’t in very good condition” because of the accident, and the authorities needed more information.
She was told she may have to fly to New Zealand with Chong’s toothbrush for DNA testing.
Wanting to fast-track the process Shannon set about finding her sister’s dental records. She knew Chong had seen a dentist and had x-rays taken - but no clinic she called held any records.
She eventually found the clinic but they did not have an x-ray on file. Shannon proceeded to break into her sister’s online photo cache and trawl through thousands of images until she found the elusive dental image.
Shannon told CNA her sister’s death had changed her perspective on life.
“The main thing that I realised is that death is very close to us. I think that really made me more motivated to live life to the fullest. I don’t want to regret anything,” she added.
“And (I learned) to cherish whatever I have now. Because you never know, you can just suddenly get into an accident and pass away.”
Anna Leask is a Christchurch-based reporter who covers national crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2008 and has worked as a journalist for 18 years with a particular focus on family violence, child abuse, sexual violence, mental health and youth crime. She writes, hosts and produces the award-winning podcast A Moment In Crime, released monthly on nzherald.co.nz
