Drunk grandad scares girls

Three motorcyclists were killed near Okere Falls. Photo / Daily Post

Two young girls were so concerned about their drunk grandfather that they didn't want to go in the car with him, an inquest into the deaths of four people in a crash has revealed.

The girls, 7 and 9, tried to wake their grandfather, Gordon Armstrong, twice before their car crashed into three motorcyclists near Okere Falls.

The collision on April 29, 2007, killed Armstrong and motorcyclists Leon Mason, 33, Simon Short, 37, and Antoinette (Toni) Purchase, 43.

The two granddaughters and Armstrong's young son, who were in the car, were injured. A blood sample taken from Armstrong contained 137mg of alcohol per 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 80mg.

Rotorua coroner Wallace Bain released his findings on the deaths this week and referred them to the Transport Minister Steven Joyce, with more than 100 pages of submissions made by Mason's wife, Jos Mason.

Bain said the Government needed to consider introducing legislation that put the onus on people who "stand by" and allow repeat drink-drivers such as Armstrong, who had four previous drink-driving convictions, to drive.

Armstrong drifted across the other side of the road into the path of the motorcyclists. He paid the ultimate price for his stupidity by killing himself as well, Bain said.

"These two girls were so concerned that their grandfather was drunk they didn't want to go in the car. After stopping at the shops he had driven the car into some bushes and had to reverse out.

"He was yelled at once by his granddaughter to wake up but while yelling at him the second time she couldn't wake him up as the crash occurred."

Bain earlier sat on another inquest and pledged to make a government submission on the need for people who didn't stop drink-drivers to face the consequences.

Bain questioned when politicians were going to "get the message", given the significant number of people killed by repeat drink-drivers.

- DAILY POST