Firms charged over biker's death

Veronique Bond. Photo / NZH

Two companies and one of their employees have been charged in relation to the death of a female motorcyclist who was reversed over by a truck at road works.

The woman's husband says he is determined not to be consumed by hate, for the sake of their 6-year-old daughter.

NZ Traffic Hamilton and international construction and infrastructure giant Transfield Services [New Zealand] Ltd. face charges laid by WorkSafe NZ under the Health and Safety in Employment Act after the death of Veronique Bernadette Renee Bond.

She was killed on her motorbike at road works in March. The 38-year-old and her husband, Neil, had moved from Waiuku to their dream 11ha section near Te Kauwhata just four weeks earlier.

NZ Traffic Hamilton faces one charge under the act, that an accident scene should not be interfered with or disturbed unless authorised by an inspector, except in certain circumstances, such as to save life.

Transfield Services [New Zealand] Ltd. faces three charges of failing to take practicable steps to prevent harm.

The companies will appear in Huntly District Court in December.

Transfield had the contract for the road-widening project approved by the Waikato District Council. It had subcontracted the site's traffic management to NZ Traffic Hamilton.

NZ Traffic director Troy Campbell denied any of his staff had tampered with the crash scene.

Transfield Services [New Zealand] Ltd. could not respond in time for print.

Police have charged Transfield employee John Gisborne with careless driving causing death.

The 28-year-old has pleaded not guilty and is due back in court in December.

Mrs Bond was on her way to the Manukau Institute of Technology, where she was in her third year of a marketing and communication degree, when the accident happened.

She had travelled 4km from her Falls Rd home when she came up behind a truck carrying metal for the road-widening project.

Mrs Bond followed the truck into Island Block Rd, where traffic management was set up.

The truck came to a stop and she pulled in behind. It then reversed over her.

Mr Bond told the Herald they had been together 13 years and shared a passion for motorcycling. He was baffled as to how she got caught out.

"How could that possibly happen? It's left a bloody great hole in our lives. We'd been working for years at being able to get a wee bit of land and wanting to have some animals and some stock. My wife, she was just the happiest I had ever seen her."

Mr Bond said his wife was an experienced rider.

He said life was too short to hold a grudge against those charged.

"I think hate is a wasted thing. I've got a little girl I'm putting my energy into. I can't change the past but I can certainly do my best for her."