Spider may have sparked fatal crash

Native trapdoor spiders. Photo / Oamaru Mail

A spider may have contributed to the quad bike crash that killed Westport teenager Renee McNelis on Monday.

Police were investigating the possibility that a trapdoor spider found at the crash scene might have distracted the teenager, Westport police detective Malcolm Haughey said.

He was unable to say whether Ms McNelis had been bitten.

Police had picked up the apparently dead spider because it was close to the crash site and out of place, Mr Haughey said.

"He's a bush spider and he was in a paddock and out in the open in the sunlight, and he's nocturnal," he said. The non-poisonous spider was from the meglamorph family and had a body length of about 3cm.

"It's big enough to distract you, certainly," Mr Haughey said.

Police took the spider to the local Department of Conservation for identification on Tuesday and were directed to a local spider expert.

Mr Haughey said driver error was the most likely cause of the accident but any aspect of the investigation was worth considering.

"We're investigating a situation where a person riding a piece of farm machinery has lost control of the vehicle and the vehicle has crashed. We are open to theories as to what caused her to lose control," he said.

Police would probably never be able to prove anything about the spider either way.

Meanwhile, the Department of Labour was conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the crash.

Meglamorphs are a relative of the tarantula.

- NZPA