Texting blamed for fatal crash

Texting at the wheel has been blamed for the death of a van driver in a crash earlier this year. File photo / Thinkstock

A van driver was texting moments before he caused a fatal head-on crash, a coroner has found.

Nathan Mathew James Dodkin, a Fastways Courier driver, veered into the middle of State Highway 3 near Tariki, Taranaki and collided with an approaching truck on January 6 this year.

The 21-year-old died at the scene from the head-on collision in the middle of the road and truck driver Paul Roberts was taken to hospital with injuries.

In her findings, Coroner Carla na Nagara said Mr Dodkin had sent and received 13 text messages in the space of 26 minutes moments before the crash, and ruled the cellphone was most likely the cause of the incident.

"There is no suggestion whatsoever that his actions were deliberate, rather he must be considered to have been distracted and it was his inattention that caused the crash.

"I consider his inattention was most likely due to the fact that he was using a cellphone ... He may have been writing a text at the time of the crash but this cannot be established with certainty."

He carried two phones with him while working in the van, a work phone and a personal phone, and his cellphone records show he was using his mobile constantly before the crash.

"Even though he was looking straight ahead, I think it is entirely possible he had a phone in his hand and was texting with it," Ms na Nagara said.

Records reportedly show that at 2:46pm Mr Dodkin sent a text to a friend and 30 seconds later sent a text his girlfriend saying "Missing you hon."

An emergency call to the ambulance was placed less than two minutes later at 2.48pm by a crash witness.

Ms na Nagara said Mr Dodkin made no attempt to stop the crash, whereas the truck driver tried to move out of the van's path and used emergency braking.

Mr Dodkin hadn't been drinking and wasn't under the influence of drugs or medication at the time and was not affected by any dangerous goods in the van, the report found.

While Mr Dodkin had been delivering hundreds of parcels and working 12 hour days before Christmas, his schedule had quietened down substantially by the time of the crash.

Mr Dodkin's girlfriend and brother both said they had seen him swerve into the middle of the road while driving the van before.