Warning may have saved motorcyclist, coroner told

Nelson motorcyclist Kevin Silke might not have died if proper systems of detecting and dealing with ice on Marlborough roads had been in place, Blenheim Coroner's Court has heard.

Mr Silke, 47, died on June 12 last year after falling from his bike when it hit ice and collided with a van on the Wairau River bridge near Renwick about 8.20am.

He was riding with a group of five other motorcyclists, four of whom also fell.

Emergency services attending the scene reported such bad ice that they had trouble standing on the bridge.

The inquest was told that a call from a concerned motorist who had spun out on the bridge earlier that morning had not been passed on to the authorities for more than an hour.

Stephen Plant, from Callcare, which takes Marlborough Roads' after-hours calls, gave evidence that one of his operators took a call from Havelock resident Emma Lancaster at 8.04 that morning.

That call was not passed on until 9.20am in what Mr Plant could only describe as "human error".

The inquest was also told that temporary fluorescent orange signs warning of ice or grit had not been opened because ice was not considered a risk on the bridge that day.

Opus International manager Mike Petersen said ice was unusual on the bridge that early in the season and weather forecasts had not indicated a frost.

"In my experience I am unaware of any instance frost has affected this bridge - it was an isolated incident," he said.

Family lawyer Patrick McPherson said the Wairau River bridge was clearly dangerous that morning yet warning signs were not opened and a warning call was not actioned.

Mr McPherson said had the call been acted on immediately, the fatal accident might not have happened.

Transit New Zealand lawyer John Knight said the ice on the Wairau Bridge that day was unprecedented and since the accident, systems had been reviewed and a more cautious approach was being implemented.

The coroner, Peter Radich, reserved his decision, saying a provisional finding would be delivered to those involved in three to four weeks.

- NZPA