Quick trip to hospital might have saved youth's life

A quick trip to a hospital might have saved a teenager's life after he was bashed at a party, a Whangarei coroner has found.

In his decision released yesterday, coroner Max Atkins ruled 17-year-old Dak Snowden died of head injuries sustained during a fight at a party at Tutukaka in February 2003.

Earlier this year at an inquest into Mr Snowden's death, Mr Atkins was told that Mr Snowden and some friends went uninvited to a party in Tutukaka.

Mr Snowden had taken two golf clubs to the party with him "for protection" and appeared to have been in an aggressive mood, "possibly fuelled to some extent by the alcohol he had consumed".

At about 1.30am Mr Snowden and his friends had left the party. As their car moved off down the road, Isaac Kake had banged on the bonnet and called out for them to slow down.

There had been conflicting evidence about how fast the car had been going. The car had stopped and an argument had broken out between Mr Snowden, Isaac and his brother Kyle Kake.

"What followed is not entirely clear because of different versions put before me, but it seems that Mr Snowden went to punch Isaac Kake who then gave him a powerful headbutt," Mr Atkins said in his decision.

Soon after, Isaac Kake had been hit on the head with a golf club wielded either by Mr Snowden or one of his friends.

Isaac Kake had then attacked Mr Snowden with the handle end of the club that he had wrestled off Mr Snowden.

Isaac Kake later pleaded guilty to a charge of common assault over the incident and was sentenced to 80 hours' community service.

"The assault possibly caused part of the injuries that led to Mr Snowden's death, but the pathological reports and other evidence could not identify that Isaac caused the critical injury which could have occurred when Mr Snowden fell down a bank during a struggle, or in some part of a fight," Mr Atkins said.

"Mr Snowden had cuts and bruises about the body where Isaac had hit him, rather than on the head."

The blow to the head that Isaac Kake sustained from the golf club had fractured his skull. His brother and their friends had then taken him to hospital.

"Sadly Mr Snowden's friends and family did not do the same for him, who was left to sleep it off and found dead later in the morning," the coroner said.

- NORTHERN ADVOCATE (WHANGAREI)