Volunteer firefighter Peter Wayne Ferguson most likely died after falling asleep at the wheel

Wayne Ferguson, from Ranfurly, died in a two-car crash, with the coroner finding that driver fatigue was the likely cause. Photo / Supplied

Volunteer firefighter Peter Wayne Ferguson sent a message to his step-daughter at 3.14pm to say he’d be home by 4pm.

But just six minutes later, the Otago man’s new Holden crossed the centreline and crashed into an oncoming car.

The 63-year-old died at the scene from “high-energy impact injuries”.

In a finding released today, Coroner Ruth Thomas said Ferguson drove over the centreline into the path of the oncoming Toyota without braking or signs that he’d taken evasive action to avoid the crash.

After ruling out other factors, such as speed, a medical condition or being distracted while driving, she determined the most likely cause of the March 2020 crash was driver fatigue.

“The crash occurred in the afternoon during the hours when studies show there is a peak in sleepiness during the day.”

Thomas said Ferguson’s death was a “tragic reminder” of the risks of driving while tired and motorists should take note of the public safety messages from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi about driver fatigue.

These include: stop to revive, then drive. Take breaks every two hours during a long trip. And finally, if feeling sleepy, don’t keep driving, pull over and rest.

No braking before impact

Ferguson, a self-employed builder and volunteer fighterfighter had only bought the Holden he was driving a couple of weeks earlier. His friend described him as a “car enthusiast” who was “really chuffed” with his new purchase.

He was heading home to Ranfurly following a three-night fishing trip with that friend in Riverton when the crash happened.

Thomas said he had gone to bed around 10pm the previous night and left the small coastal town at the bottom of the South Island about 11:30am on March 8, before calling his stepdaughter at about 3.14pm via Facebook Messenger.

The Serious Crash Unit investigator’s report, provided to the coroner, said the crash happened at 3.20pm on Lauder Road - an area of State Highway 85 that is a straight, flat, sealed, two-lane, two-way road.

The speed limit is 100km/h and data downloaded from the Toyota involved in the crash showed its speed at the time of the impact was 80km/h. In the half-second before impact, the Toyota’s speed had dropped from 88km/h to 80km/h and it had steered to the left.

The driver of that car had been driving towards Becks, and as he looked ahead to see the small township in the distance, he saw Ferguson’s Holden coming straight towards him.

He said he’d not had the opportunity to swerve or brake.

A member of the public travelling on State Highway 95 said she saw the Holden and the Toyota on the road before “the Toyota flipped and veered off the road”.

The witness said Ferguson’s car appeared to keep all four wheels on the road but “spun around in a circle and ended up facing the opposite direction”.

The data from the Holden wasn’t able to be downloaded but the crash analyst estimated its speed was 75km/h at the time of impact and his car had moved 59cm over the centreline.

Despite having sent the message six minutes before the crash Thomas said Ferguson “was not using his phone or receiving messages on his phone just prior to, or at the time of the crash”.

Excessive speed was not a factor in the crash, there were no mechanical faults with either car, and Ferguson was wearing his seatbelt at the time.

A “lovely”, “bubbly” man

After the crash, Ranfurly Chief Fire Officer James Hazlett told the Otago Daily Times that Ferguson’s death was a “massive loss”.

Wayne Ferguson was a 63-year-old volunteer firefighter and self-employed builder when he was killed in the head-on crash.

He was a “lovely”, “bubbly” man who would be sorely missed, friends and colleagues.

Ferguson had been involved with the United Fire Brigade Association (UFBA) tech panel and had organised firefighting competitions both regionally and nationally. He had also previously been a long-serving member of the Luggate Volunteer Fire Brigade.

Deputy fire chief Matt Anderson said Ferguson served from April 1998 until January 2018, and was deputy chief fire officer at Luggate when he moved to Ranfurly.

Anderson said Ferguson had been a valued member of the brigade who was “always there to offer his services”.

“He loved going to all the meetings and was willing to do the business stuff that nobody else really wanted to do.”

Hannah Bartlett is a Tauranga-based Open Justice reporter at NZME. She previously covered court and local government for the Nelson Mail, and before that was a radio reporter at Newstalk ZB.