Father in fatal crash named

Police have named the Wairarapa father who died when his vehicle crashed and rolled in Canterbury after it clipped another vehicle during an overtaking manoeuvre last week.

He was Timothy Grant Pickering, 41, of Martinborough.

His two young daughters were injured in the crash.

Mr Pickering was the driver of a Chevrolet Blazer sport utility vehicle when it crashed on Gressons Rd, about 5km west of State Highway 1, near Waikuku, about 2.45pm on Friday. His daughters, aged 5 and 7, were taken to hospital with moderate injuries after the crash.

Police said they remained in hospital in a comfortable condition.

Sergeant Colin Stewart said Mr Pickering was not wearing a seatbelt and was thrown from the vehicle.

He died at the scene.

Mr Stewart said it appeared a small truck had been about to turn right or was turning when it was clipped by Mr Pickering's vehicle.

Woodend deputy chief fire officer Lewis Grant said the sport utility had gone about 15 metres off the road, through a fence and into a paddock.

The two girls were out by the time firefighters arrived and were being nursed by members of the public.

Two people were administering CPR on the driver, who was lying some distance from the vehicle.

"We also tried to use the defibrillator on him but that was unsuccessful and the ambulance took over from there," Mr Grant said.

The vehicle's windscreen was broken. "There's nothing more that we could have done." Inquiries into the crash were continuing.