Changes after fatal crash
The New Zealand Defence Force is changing the way it deals with civilians after a woman criticised the way they treated her after her husband was killed by a soldier on a driver training course.
They are also implementing other changes, in line with recommendations that came out of a Court of Inquiry after the crash.
Dayne Jordan Pennington, a 24-year-old soldier, was granted a discharge without conviction on Wednesday after pleading guilty to careless driving causing the death of Warren Anthony Carter.
Carter, 71, died after a Unimog truck Pennington was learning to drive crashed into the side of his car in Manawatu¯ on August 10.
Pennington, who had started a drive from Linton Military Camp with an instructor in the passenger seat, hit the clutch instead of the brake pedal.
At Pennington’s sentencing on Wednesday, Carter’s wife Joan Carter criticised the defence force’s actions following the crash.
It took her weeks of asking for someone from the defence force to visit her, but she was eventually visited by chief of army Major General Peter Kelly and given an apology.
In an email, a defence force spokesperson said a defence Court of Inquiry into the incident came back with various recommendations the defence force is putting in place.
A family liaison officer would be appointed when there were incidents involving non-defence force civilians.
The defence force was also working on a set of policies and procedures on how they should deal with non-defence force civilians involved in serious incidents.
Joan Carter also raised issues around the driving course, as Pennington had only had his full car driver licence for five weeks before the crash.
The defence force spokesperson said the Unimog course was being delivered by a New Zealand Transport Agency-approved provider.
It was consistent with transport agency regulations.
‘‘The driver involved in the accident had passed all necessary training required and was under instruction at the time of the accident.’’
However, the defence force was following through on a Court of Inquiry recommendation to review the driving course to ensure lessons were being taught in the right order.