Fatal Picton crash: Coroner finds sleep-deprived van driver crossed centre line, leaving seven dead

A sleep-deprived van driver crossed the centre line into the path of a truck and trailer unit near Picton, causing a catastrophic head-on crash that claimed the lives of seven family members in one of the nation’s worst road accidents, a coroner has found.

Two of the dead were unrestrained passengers, including a 6-month-old baby. Her young father, Pedro Clariman, survived the collision but must now face life without his beloved mother, stepfather, brother, aunt, cousin, partner and child.

The coroner’s decision, released today, suggests the van’s driver, Paul Brown, had snatched barely four hours of sleep in the 24 hours before the horrific accident on Sunday, June 19, last year. The accident tore the van apart, leaving grieving relatives across two continents mourning the dead.

A serious crash investigation report found the driving conditions were good, the van was roadworthy and there was no evidence Brown had applied the brakes before impact.

Coroner Alison Mills ruled that Brown most likely fell into a “micro-sleep” as he rounded a moderate bend following a mammoth four-day round trip from Auckland to Gore, before smashing into the southbound truck, killing himself and six passengers.

“This is a tragic accident which has left many people in New Zealand, the Philippines and Taiwan bereft of loved ones,” the coroner said.

“Sadly, the accident was avoidable and is a reminder of the real risks of driving when tired or ‘fatigued’. It is a particular reminder of the cumulative effect of driving long distances with inadequate sleep.”

Speaking to the Herald, Clariman said he is still trying to come to terms with his loss and rebuild his life.

The now 28-year-old had been driving that morning but pulled over after feeling sleepy and his stepfather, Brown, offered to take the wheel.

Clariman recalls hearing family members talking and then the violent impact of the collision, which occurred at Mount Pleasant, just 5km from Picton.

He suffered leg, back and head injuries, and is still healing - taking anti-depressants and receiving therapy for a brain injury and ongoing mental trauma.

The timber frame worker was forced to bury nearly his entire family in a local cemetery, including his partner, Amber, and their 6-month-old baby, Mika. His younger brother, Luie, also survived but suffered spinal injuries and doctors say he will never walk again.

Pedro Clariman lost seven family members when a 10-seater van crossed the centre line into the path of a truck near Picton in June last year. Photo / Alex Burton

Speaking from his family’s rented home in Pukekohe, which is adorned with pictures of his lost loved ones, Clariman said he feels broken, empty and alone.

He is still scared of trucks and has flashbacks of the accident and his family’s faces as they lay dead among the wreckage.

“I feel empty. I don’t know what I want to do. It’s hard to live now because I don’t have my own family. I feel very broken.

“Sometimes I have flashbacks. I get really scared. Sometimes I can’t breathe.

“I’m thinking why did I survive? For what? I can’t figure it out.”

Clariman can’t bring himself to read the coroner’s report yet as the enormity of the accident is still too raw.

A Toyota van was ripped apart when it crossed the centre line and ploughed into an oncoming truck near Picton, leaving seven people dead. Photo / George Heard

And though he accepts Brown was responsible for the accident, he disputes police findings that his “dad” had not had sufficient sleep and says his remaining family feels the findings are unfair.

They are also upset that the trucking company involved in the accident, Big Chill Distribution, has never made contact or passed on its condolences.

“That’s all we want from them. It’s just a small thing. We feel like they don’t care.”

A Big Chill spokesman said the accident was “devastating” and the company had not tried to contact the family while the police investigation was underway.

An epic road trip

Brown, 59, a special needs teacher, met his future wife, Diseree Lagud, online. They married in 2015 and Lagud moved to New Zealand with her children from the Philippines.

Four days before the accident, on June 15, nine members of the extended family left Auckland to attend a funeral in Gore for Brown’s late aunt, travelling in Clariman’s 10-seater Toyota van.

Brown was the group’s “tour guide”. He knew the local roads and history of the area.

“Mr Brown was described as a very safe driver who always kept to the left because it was safer,” the coroner said.

“He was not known to drive fast and always told his passengers to wear seat belts.”

Flordeliza Dolar (from left), Divina Dolar, name withheld, Mika Clariman (baby), Diseree Lagud Brown, Paul Brown's mum, Paul Brown, Mark Lagud (front), Pedro Clariman (back), Luie Lagud.

The family left Auckland on the evening of June 15 and drove through the night to catch the morning ferry from Wellington. Brown and Clariman shared the driving.

After catching the ferry they drove south to Timaru where they spent the night on June 16.

The next morning on June 17 they drove to Queenstown and then on to Gore, arriving about 11pm.

They attended the funeral the next day on June 18 before driving to Dunedin and Timaru, then heading north to visit Brown’s friend in Rolleston near Christchurch, arriving about 10pm.

Most of the family had a short sleep but Brown sat up talking to his friend.

The friend suggested they spend the night, but Brown wanted to drive slowly to Picton for breakfast before the midday ferry, so he woke the family at 2.30am on June 19 and they left Rolleston at 3am.

Clariman drove for nearly four hours while everyone else slept before he felt tired and pulled over.

He played briefly with his daughter. It was cold and beginning to get light. Though Clariman felt refreshed, Brown offered to take over the driving.

Clariman checked his GPS which showed they were 47 minutes from Picton, and commented that Brown seemed in a good condition to drive.

“Everybody got back in the van. Pedro recalls touching his daughter’s face before heading off again.”

Clariman was travelling in the front passenger seat. He closed his eyes and dozed off.

“He did not hear anything before he suddenly felt and heard an impact. He opened his eyes and felt his legs and face hurting. The van had crossed the centre line and collided with an oncoming truck and trailer unit.”

The crash scene south of Picton on State Highway 1. Photo / George Heard

The driver of the truck, Richard Thompson, had departed Picton for Christchurch at 7.15am.

He said visibility was good, there was no fog and the sun was rising.

As he rounded a bend, he saw the van crossing the centre line toward him. He tried to hug the left shoulder of the road and braked, but couldn’t avoid the collision.

The impact shunted the van 20 metres backwards, leaving it a mangled wreck. The truck locked up and rolled into a ditch.

Members of the public attempted to provide first aid, but many of the van passengers were already dead.

Clariman made his way out of the wreckage and was in severe shock.

Baby Mika was found wrapped in a blanket, lying beneath a female victim. She was not restrained in the baby capsule, which was found severely damaged and lodged by the driver’s seat.

Mark Lagud, 18, was one of seven people killed in the horrific crash near Picton in June last year. Photo / Alex Burton

Clariman’s brother Mark, 18, was also unrestrained, with his seatbelt found stowed in a locked position.

“The serious crash unit observed that it is possible that both Mika and Mark may have been able to survive had they been appropriately restrained.”

Clariman and Luie - the van’s only survivors - were airlifted to hospital, while Thompson was taken to Wairau Hospital in Blenheim but later discharged.

A serious crash report found both drivers were fully licensed, their vehicles in good working order and speed was not a factor in the crash.

The crash scene shows damage to the truck south of Picton on State Highway 1. Photo / George Heard

According to the report, Brown had no more than three hours and 50 minutes of sleep in the preceding 24 hours, though the coroner ruled he may have slept slightly longer.

“The report concluded that fatigue was the primary factor contributing to this crash. This is supported by physiological risk factors including Mr Brown’s acute lack of sleep, the itinerary and extent of travelling the family had undertaken and the time of day the crash occurred.

“This conclusion is also supported by evidence that indicates Mr Brown was not in conscious control of the van at the time of impact.”

The cause of death for the seven victims was blunt force trauma. The coroner said their injuries were “significant and severe”.

The tragedy underlined the known risk factors of driving long distances while fatigued.

Photos of Mark Lagud, his mother, Diseree, and her husband, Paul Brown, hang in the family's Pukekohe home. Photo / Alex Burton

“No amount of experience, motivation, or care can overcome your body’s biological need to sleep. Being tired can cause you to drift in and out of sleep without knowing it. Sleep experts call this micro-sleep.”

These micro-naps could last between three and five seconds and were the main cause of fatigue-related crashes where drivers ran off the road.

These crashes were usually the most serious because drivers did not brake before colliding with another object.

“If this happens while driving, it can cost you and your loved ones their lives.”

The coroner urged drivers to be alert to signs of fatigue, to plan their journeys so they did not drive excessive distances and ensure drivers had sufficient sleep.

‘It’s painful for me’

Clariman sits at his kitchen table and stares out a window into the spring sunshine.

He has recently returned to work part-time and is slowly recovering and trying to move on with his life.

Asked how he copes, he says he tries not to think about his overwhelming loss and busies himself with work and looking after his pet parrots and chickens.

But sometimes he doesn’t want to leave his room.

“I’m not happy talking about my family. It’s painful for me. I try to be strong but sometimes it’s hard to handle. I try to distract myself or drink my medicine so I feel tired and sleepy.

“Sometimes I feel like I want to cry but I don’t want people to see me like that. I don’t want people to have pity on me. I want to be strong like my mum.”

Pedro Clariman, 28, says he is trying to rebuild his life and move on from the accident, but he feels broken, empty and alone. Photo / Alex Burton

The large rented home the family had shared overlooks rural Pukekohe, its picturesque arable land stretching off into the horizon. The house is filled with memories of his loved ones but Clariman and his remaining relatives must find somewhere else to live as the property is now for sale.

“I feel like the memories of my baby are here. I keep telling myself I have to move on. Hopefully the next house I can build a new life and new memories.

“Before, me and my partner thought about the future for our kids. But now I don’t know what I want to be. It’s just myself.”

* The accident claimed the lives of Paul Brown, 59, his wife Diseree Lagud Brown, 47, her son Mark John Lagud, 18, Diseree’s sister Divina Dolar, 56, her daughter Flordeliza Dolar, 19, Clariman’s partner Li-Hsuan Chen (known as Amber), 36, and their baby Mika Ella Chen Clariman, 6 months.