Death raises housing concerns

A Nelson man with serious mental health issues who was hit by a car and killed while walking on a highway had been unable to find stable accommodation, an inquest heard.

Sergei Andrew McDowell, 21, died on November 6, 2015, when he was struck by a vehicle on Te Mamaku Drive, between the Coastal Highway and Mapua.

A coronial inquest into McDowell’s death was heard in the Nelson District Court yesterday.

McDowell had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and had substance abuse issues which contributed to him having no stable accommodation at the time of his death. He had been asked to leave a number of places due to his issues and disruptive behaviour.

McDowell had received treatment in the Nelson Hospital mental health unit. At the time of his death he was on a community treatment order, receiving fortnightly injections for schizophrenia. The court heard how he frequently absconded from the mental health unit and would return intoxicated.

After he was discharged in October, 2015, he had stayed with his mother on the condition he not consume alcohol or drugs. That had lasted for about a month and he had gone on to stay at Franklyn Village, Bumbles Backpackers and the Night Shelter as well as with friends and other backpackers.

A few days before he died, he moved to the Happy Apple Backpackers in Motueka, after being been unable to find accommodation in central Nelson. Mental health professionals expressed concerns about him staying in Motueka, away from any support.

The court heard how on the evening of November 6, McDowell had taken a bicycle from the backpackers and had ridden toward Nelson, to catch up with a friend. On Te Mamaku Drive, he abandoned the bicycle and continued on foot.

Coroner Peter Ryan said in his view the issue was that there was no accommodation in Nelson that McDowell could access, which meant he was estranged from his friends and support structures and he set out from Motueka to connect with them.

‘‘Had there been accommodation in Nelson that was accepting of him with his alcoholic issues, this tragedy is unlikely to have occurred.’’