Moment's inattention blamed for nine deaths

All nine people inside this tourist van were killed. Picture / Amos Chapple

Auckland man George Gibson may have known the road like the back of his hand but it appears "a moment's inattention" led to the country's second-most horrific road crash ever.

That was the scenario put before coroner Peter Ryan at the Morrinsville District Court yesterday, as a witness account of the tragedy that killed nine people was given by a truck driver involved in the crash, Stephen Toor, and another motorist, Robert Ramsay.

The crash happened on May 18 last year, when Mr Gibson was transporting seven tourists plus his partner to Rotorua along State Highway 27.

Mr Gibson's Mercedes van collided with a 36-tonne truck and trailer, fully laden with timber. All nine people inside the van were killed and Mr Toor escaped injury, the court was told.

During the continuation of the coroner's inquest (first adjourned in June last year) the sergeant in charge of Waikato's serious crash unit, Greg Waters, concluded that the crash was caused by Mr Gibson losing control of his van, and a failure to keep within the road's southbound lane.

Speed was not a factor and there was nothing wrong with the road at the time, Mr Waters told the court.

However, the court heard that the road was greasy at the time from wet, drizzly conditions.

Several family members of the dead were in court to hear the evidence, although many more lived overseas.

Truck driver Stephen Toor asked that his written brief be read out to the court by a senior police constable.

On the day, Mr Toor was heading north to drop off his load at the Port of Auckland. "I noticed a silver van heading south. As the van came around the bend I saw the back end start to drift out toward my lane. I was doing about 80-85km/h and was easing off."

The van "fish-tailed" and began to slide. Mr Toor said he tried to move as far as he could to the left-hand side of the road.

The passenger side of the van struck the front end of the truck, in what was later described by Mr Waters as a T-bone type impact.

Mr Waters said the truck split the van open. Some passengers had been wearing seatbelts and it was not known if others were strapped in, although the chances of survival were unlikely in any event, he said.

A grizzly description of how the dead were scattered was given, and Mr Waters said that in his opinion Mr Gibson "could have exhibited a moment's inattention".

The sergeant praised Mr Toor's actions, and told the court he had ruled out any culpability on the truck driver's part.

"My microscopic examination of his actions leading to the approximate area of impact leads me to believe that he reacted at the absolute first opportunity." Mr Toor could have done nothing more to avoid the crash, he said.

Coroner Peter Ryan reserved his written decision, which he expected to be available within two months.

Outside the court, Waikato road police manager Leo Tooman said the problem of increasing numbers of large, heavy trucks travelling through the Waikato was going to only get worse.

The ports at Auckland and Mt Maunganui were the largest in the country and 20 per cent of the country's freight volume came through the Waikato, he said.

One of the biggest areas of concerns was truckies "shooting down off SH1 along the Ohinewai-Tahuna Rd to link up to SH27".

Many truckies were using State Highways 2, 27, 29, and 39 (from Ngaruawahia to Otorohanga) as an alternative to the roadworks encountered on SH1 at Mercer, and as a way of avoiding congestion in Hamilton.

There was "no contest" when 2400kg impacted with 36,000kg head-on, he said.

* New Zealand's worst road crash was in February 1963, when a bus carrying 35 people plunged down a 30m slope on the Brynderwyn Hills, between Auckland and Whangarei. Fifteen people lost their lives.


Toll of victims

* George Gibson, 66, driver of the Mercedes van. Mr Gibson had 20 years' driving experience and held a contract with tour driving firm Greenworld Tours.

* Tourist Naphat Juiyim, 42, of Thailand. It was understood Ms Juiyim had flown to New Zealand a week before the crash.

* Tourists and Indian family members Vallore P. Thurumurthy (father), 50; Suchitra Thurumurthy (mother), 42; Ahalya Thurumurthy (daughter), 20; and Urmila Thurumurthy (daughter), 18. Ahalya survived for five days on life support at Waikato Hospital before succumbing to her injuries.

* Tourists Gregory James Megas, 57, and Donna Lee Megas, 45, of America.

* French tourist Robert Sylvaine Michel Besse, 58.