Road collapsed under Unimog, inquest told

Two soldiers plunged 120 metres to their deaths in an Army truck when the road beneath them collapsed, an experienced crash investigator says.

The driver, Private Sean Dougherty, and passenger Private Daniel Kairua were killed during an Army driver training programme on Canterbury's Banks Peninsula when the seven-tonne Unimog truck rolled down a steep hillside off a snow-covered road in August last year.

A second passenger, Private Martyn Berry, survived but suffered serious injuries.

A police report said the vehicle drove off the left edge of the road and there was no evidence of it trying to steer away from the edge.

But at a coroner's inquest into the soldiers' deaths yesterday, independent investigator Sandy Beckett said: "The Unimog did not drive off the left-hand side of the road, rather it was pulled off the road as the ground beneath it subsided".

The Unimog carrying the trio had driven wider on the road than the vehicle ahead of it in a convoy and had hit loose gravel on the shoulder of the road and was dragged further left before hitting the "soft" part of the road that collapsed.

"The vehicle in question was entitled to drive on the portion of road it was on," Mr Beckett said.

"If the road had not subsided the driver would have been able to make a correction to move to the more central part of the road."

Mr Beckett said tracks in the snow had given the false impression that it had driven off the road.

"I am of the opinion that the snow-covering on the road was a factor in this crash and that the road appeared to be wider than it was."

A large piece of road had been pulled down the cliff with the vehicle.

"It was in fact so soft that I could place my weight on one foot on the edge of the road and without too much trouble get a square metre or so to move in a downward motion."

The Banks Peninsula District Council is responsible for maintaining the road.

Asked by council lawyer Willie Palmer if the Unimog had been driven too far to the left of the road, Mr Beckett said: "It is entitled to be on the road. It doesn't matter if it is too far to the left or too far to the right. The road should not collapse."

Questioned further, he said, "Possibly it was too far left".

Earlier yesterday, Senior Constable John Isitt gave the findings of his investigation into the crash on behalf of police.

He found the edge of the road was unable to support the Unimog but that driver inattention had likely led to the vehicle heading towards the edge. There was no sign of any mechanical problems.

"A person with experience driving on this type of road would be aware of the inherent danger of going too close to the road edge."

The inquest continues today.