Five more needless road deaths, coroner says

A father of two was killed in this truck accident at Maramarua. Picture / Amos Chapple

A despairing coroner yesterday concluded that repeated safety messages for drivers were "still not getting through".

Robert McDermott of Huntly was presiding over the inquests into the deaths of five young people, and speed, alcohol, fatigue and failure to wear seatbelts were common threads in the evidence.

"People think they are inside a box and bullet-proof. They don't realise how vulnerable they are," Mr McDermott said.

He concluded that the deaths of all five victims were unnecessary and avoidable and he called the crashes a tragic waste of young human life.

"Coroners have had enough," he said. "It's the same thing coming before us.

"Society should have learned its lesson by now."

One crash claimed the life of 35-year-old father of two Dayle Eynon in October last year on State Highway 2 near Maramarua.

His sons, aged 7 and 4, survived the accident.

Mr Eynon's truck had not been fitted with seatbelts and police told the coroner's court there was no requirement for small trucks registered before October 2003 to be fitted with them.

Mr McDermott said that Parliament should address the law, which had clearly "slipped through the cracks".

However, he said Mr Eynon had unfortunately been the "author of his own demise".

He found it disturbing that Mr Eynon took his children on the round-trip between Whitianga and Auckland when tests by the Institute of Environmental Science and Research showed that his breath-alcohol level was two times over the legal limit.

It was found that Mr Eynon had been up for about 18 hours the previous day and in between had managed only five hours' sleep.

Gruelling and emotional testimony was given by two young women who were passengers in a high-powered car when it crashed, killing Gavin Beadle, 22, and Brett Hancock, 20.

According to police Mr Beadle's vehicle rolled "at least four times" over a distance of 70m.

The crash happened about 10.10pm on January 27 near Te Kauwhata and all four people inside were thrown from the car.

Mr Hancock's sister Julie, 22 at the time, sustained critical injuries and told the inquest yesterday that she had no recollection of the event.

Friend Simon Raw told the court that shortly before the fateful 10-minute trip, all four had been drinking bourbon at his house.

Amanda Bell, aged 20 at the time of the crash, told Mr McDermott she pleaded with Mr Beadle to slow as they approached a stop sign.

Environmental Science and Research tests showed Mr Beadle's alcohol reading was below the legal limit. However, the coroner said that because Mr Beadle was not known as a regular "drinking lad", the effects would have been "so much the worse".

Ms Bell told the court she was sure all three passengers were wearing seatbelts.

She recalled hers going "ping" when spinning out of control.

However, crash investigator Senior Constable Rhys Bright disagreed.

He said it was impossible that all four would have been thrown from the vehicle if they had been wearing seatbelts.

Mr Beadle's sister questioned police findings over the seatbelts and did not agree that the car "bottomed out" after becoming airborne.

Mr McDermott found that two other fatalities, in incidents near Raglan and Ngaruawahia, were the result of head injuries from the impact of crashes after heavy alcohol consumption.

The cases

* Carey Barlow, 36, died on February 19, 2006.
His ute hit a bank on State Highway 23 near Raglan. Police found that Mr Barlow would have survived had he been wearing a seatbelt. He had been drinking and witnesses said he was tired. His level of alcohol was found to be three times over the limit.

* Dayle Eynon, 35, died on October 30, 2005.
His truck hit another truck on the corner of State Highway 2 and Kopuku Rd, Maramarua. He was intoxicated and was travelling with his sons, aged 7 and 4, in the cab of the truck. The boys survived.

* Darcey Mahara, 42, died on March 17, 2005.
He was riding a friend's motorcycle when he left State Highway 1 at Hopuhopu and collided with a fence. His speed was estimated at 124km/h, and his breath-alcohol level was two times over the legal limit.

* Gavin Beadle, 22, and Brett Hancock, 20, died on January 27, 2006.
The high-powered car they were in hit a bank on Keith Rd, Waerenga, in north Waikato. Confusion and delays over ambulance dispatch have since led to a review of the system, with plans to equip vehicles with GPS technology.