Coroner rules on crash death

A motorcyclist who struck and killed a Christchurch woman trying to cross State Highway 6 near Atawhai, Nelson was unable to avoid the collision, a coroner has found.

Alethea Maureen Scott, 78, died on April 29, 2016 from the complications of injuries sustained when she was struck by a motorcycle ridden by 20-year-old Joshua De La Cour on April 14.

Coroner David Robinson has released his findings into Scott’s death, following a inquest in April this year. He ruled that Scott died from the complications of multiple traumatic injuries. However, it was found that De La Cour was unable to avoid the collision and there was no evidence of inattention on his part.

The manner of death was ruled accidental.

‘‘Scott and her husband were unwise to cross where and when they did. That they did not identify oncoming traffic in both the north and southbound lanes was likely due to inadvertence and perhaps light conditions,’’ Robinson said in the report.

At around 6pm on the evening of the incident, Scott and husband Bernard attempted to reach their SUV and caravan parked on the seaward side of SH6 near the intersection with Bay View Rd. Several witnesses recalled being surprised to see the couple attempting to cross the road during peak-hour traffic.

Another witness who was driving said he saw the couple walking across the road, and thought the motorcycle was about 30 metres away from them when they attempted to cross.

Robinson accepted the witnesses’ evidence that the Scotts had entered the roadway in circumstances that caused oncoming traffic to brake, leading to the conclusion that the Scotts did not see that traffic coming.

De La Cour said he saw the couple when they were in the southbound lane, and once he saw them in the middle of the road, he was surprised to see them begin to run.

Robinson found that the Scotts hastened across the northbound lane, leaving insufficient distance for De La Cour to brake.

He acknowledged that lighting may have been an issue, as it was twilight. However, he also noted that witnesses did not appear to have had any problems seeing the Scotts on the road.

Althea Scott was struck at or about the fog line at the edge of the northbound lane.

While not making specific findings as a contributing factor to Scott’s death, Robinson also noted that her pre-existing medical history of heart and respiratory issues was a factor in her death.

‘‘The pathologist stated, in effect, that Mrs Scott’s age and general health contributed to her death, stating that ‘it is likely that had the deceased been a young person and without pre-existing disease, she would have survived the injury sustained’.’’

In response to Scott’s family’s suggestion that the Serious Crash Unit (SCU) should have been called to investigate sooner, Robinson said having all relevant witnesses at the scene during the forensic mapping process might have assisted crash investigators in their analysis.

Robinson also considered what measures could be taken to minimise the risk of death in similar circumstances, including a ‘‘no stopping’’ sign and whether a change of speed limit on the road was warranted.

Despite taking information from the NZ Transport Agency and the Atawhai Safety Group, Robinson declined to make any recommendation on either matter. ‘‘Because I have found that the collision was due to Mr and Mrs Scott’s entry into the northbound roadway when they did, an 80kmh speed limit would not have altered the outcome,’’ he said.