KEY POINTS:
Less than 24 hours after the death of a teenager in a road crash near Queenstown the Justice Ministry approached his employer about the young man's unpaid court fines.
Kane John Andrew, 17, of Queenstown, was killed when the car he was driving and truck collided on State Highway 6 at Gibbston 5.45pm.
The driver of the truck was admitted to Queenstown Hospital with moderate injuries.
His employer, Sean Cruz of SC Plastering Ltd, said he was contacted by collections staff at 11am yesterday, less than 24 hours after his employee's death, the Otago Daily Times reported.
Mr Cruz said the collections staff member asked for any outstanding wages to be diverted from Mr Andrew's bank account to pay outstanding fines of "a few thousand" dollars.
Mr Cruz said he had been grieving all day when he got the phone call.
"He died at 6pm on Tuesday and then here they are on the phone asking for his wages.
"Are they human? That's what I asked myself. Where's the compassion?"
Ministry spokeswoman Melanie King confirmed staff had contacted Mr Cruz but denied the call was to arrange for additional payments.
She said the calls were proper procedure in the event of the death of a person with outstanding fines, to determine whether additional direct debits from his wages made by an attachment order through the courts were already being processed.
The correct information could then be put before a judge, allowing fines to be wiped and providing peace of mind to the family, she said.
"It is regrettable that his work colleagues were offended, but in these tragic circumstances the ministry will move swiftly to minimise any stress to grieving family members," Ms King said.
The cause of the crash was unknown, and police were seeking witnesses who saw Mr Andrew's white Honda Integra travelling from the Cromwell area, through the Kawarau Gorge between 4.45 and 5.45pm on Tuesday.
- NZPA
