Driver in fatal crash walks out of hospital

A disqualified Auckland driver suspected of causing a crash which killed a Northland mother has walked out of hospital.

The man is thought to have been drunk behind the wheel of the 4WD which was in collision with a car driven by Kerikeri woman Katherine Kennedy, 46, last Wednesday. Ms Kennedy died in hospital after the crash.

It is understood the man is a disqualified driver. He was in Whangarei Hospital with spine and chest injuries, but checked himself out of hospital.

The 49-year-old Aucklander had not been charged over the crash or Ms Kennedy's death. Police had conducted an initial interview and were awaiting the results of a blood-alcohol test.

Police were not commenting on his disappearance, and the Northland District Health Board could not comment on whether the man had been under guard in hospital.

Early investigations showed the man's 4WD was a car-width across the centre line at the time of the collision on SH10, south of Kerikeri.

A witness said the two men in the 4WD appeared to be "so drunk they could barely walk". Wine casks were scattered on the road and in their vehicle.

More than 300 friends and family crowded into Kerikeri's Kingston House on Monday for Ms Kennedy's funeral, with many spilling outside on to the lawn.

Her coffin was open and draped in a fake tiger skin, a nod to her flamboyance and fondness for fake fur.

Many of the mourners had driven from Auckland to farewell the friend they knew as "Rin".

One brother flew from London, another from Australia.

Older brother Mark Kennedy called for stronger action against drink-drivers, saying a petition was planned.

His sister had always fought to have injustices put right, and that was what the family would be doing now, he said.

Another brother, Hamish, said whenever he spent time with her he felt his spirits lift; a friend said she was "the funniest chick I've ever met".

Her 5-year-old son, Matthew, started school a few weeks ago. Matthew is now being cared for by his uncle in Kerikeri.

Some of those at the funeral never knew Ms Kennedy, such as the doctor first on the scene after the crash.

The GP, who did not want to be named, said he was one of many who had "tried like hell to save her".

- APN