Truckie's grieving family: Stop being PC

Malcolm Frew. Photo / Supplied

The family of a truck driver killed in an accident involving a 15-year-old learner driver say the Government needs to "forget the PC bulls**t" and take a serious look at the driving age.

Malcolm John Frew, 57, died on Wednesday afternoon when a young motorist on a restricted licence lost control of a Toyota Rav 4 and crashed into his stock truck near Otewa Rd, southwest of Otorohanga.

A passenger in the Rav 4, 17-year-old Tukaha Trenton Panui, of Waitomo, was also killed in the crash.

The driver, a girl understood to be from Te Awamutu, and two other passengers suffered serious injuries.

The group was airlifted to Waikato Hospital.

Mr Frew, originally from Benneydale, was a father of two boys and two girls, all in their 20s.

He had recently celebrated the birth of two grandchildren, the older of whom is 4 months.

A spokesman for the family, Rick Irvine, said Mr Frew was "a genuine Kiwi bloke" who was well respected within the local farming and trucking communities.

He said the family held "very strong feelings towards the attitude of the Government" and its "lack of timely and life-saving legislation" that might have helped this type of tragedy from happening.

"It's time to forget the PC bulls**t," Mr Irvine said, "and have someone take ownership of the acts and legislation surrounding the age of driving, and stand up and do something about this.

"Too many of our children are being killed unnecessarily."

Mr Frew had worked as a driver for Olivers Transport in Otorohanga for seven of the 25 years he had lived in Otorohanga.

His boss Marty Greaves said his tight-knit staff were struggling with the loss.

"He was a bloody good bugger, a laid-back, easygoing sort of a guy."

Alarm bells started ringing when Mr Greaves got a phone call from a client complaining that a calf had not been dropped off.

He got into his truck to investigate and came across the crash scene not long after.

Mr Greaves said the car was probably airborne the split second before it hit the cab of Mr Frew's truck.

He said his friend had "no chance" - the mangled steering wheel was pinned against his seat from where the vehicle had collided with the cab.

The truck looked as if it had been hit at bumper height and Mr Greaves said the car "would have been like a torpedo".

Waikato district road policing manager Inspector Leo Tooman said the young driver was travelling too fast and was breaking her graduated driver's licence conditions.

The crash had similarities to another during Labour Weekend in which a learner driver crashed, killing two people near Huntly.

Mr Irvine said Mr Frew's funeral was likely to be held in Te Awamutu next week.