Kathleen and Douglas Dietz were honeymooning in New Zealand when he died in a car crash. Photo / Supplied
Kathleen and Douglas Dietz were honeymooning in New Zealand when he died in a car crash. Photo / Supplied
A young American honeymooner who died on a gravel road in Martinborough was not wearing his seatbelt and had a blood alcohol level over the legal limit, a coroner has found.
Douglas Parker Dietz, from Virginia, was killed overnight on September 29, 2016 when his rental van ploughed into an open culvert on Shooting Butts Rd.
Coroner C.J. Devonport has foundDietz died of obstruction to breathing and potential neck injuries.
The crashed rental vehicle Douglas Dietz was killed in when he crashed. Photo / Wairarapa Times-Age
The coroner also recommendedthe South Wairarapa District Council review the speed limit of the rural road, which has a default speed limit of 100km/h.
He also asked the New Zealand Transport Agency to providemore information to tourists on the country's drink-driving laws and seatbelt requirements.
The council said it would review the road's speed limit.Dietz, 29, a sales representative, arrived in Auckland with his wife, Kathleen, on September 23, 2016, almost one year to the day after their wedding.
They began their honeymoon on Waiheke Island, staying two nights before spending a further night in Auckland.
Kathleen Dietz said her husband had been "fluey" and was taking medication as a result.
On September 26, the couple hired a Toyota Estima van and drove from Auckland to Martinborough, stopping at Waitomo, Rotorua and Taupo. They arrived at their Martinborough accommodation between 8pm and 9pm on September 28.
Kathleen Dietz said her husband drank a glass of red wine and they shared a shot of whiskey.
Kathleen Dietz and Douglas Dietz. Photo / via Facebook
About 30 minutes after their arrival, Dietz left the motel to go stargazing.
She stayed in the room to relax, but became concerned when her husband failed to return and she discovered the rental van gone.
At about 3.53am on September 29, Kathleen Dietz called police.
Dietz and his vehicle were found at 6am by a man driving his tractor to a contracting job.
The coroner concluded that Dietz had been driving north when his van left the unsealed surface and flipped into a culvert, landing on its roof.
He was not wearing a seatbelt and had a blood alcohol level of 78mg per 100ml. The legal limit for a person over 20 is 50mg per 100ml.
Police said tyre marks indicated the Toyota Estima had been travelling about 100kmh.
The police report also said Dietz may have been tired and the medication he had taken could have had a sedative effect on him.
Council chief executive Paul Crimp said the maintenance regime for Shooting Butts Rd had been reviewed, but not changed, since the fatal crash.
The council was considering sealing the section of Shooting Butts Rd from Dublin St to the corner as part of its wider seal extension programme, however this did not extend to the crash site.
