Sympathy for driver
Abi’s family offer thoughts
The family of a girl killed in a crash with two other people say the tourist accused of causing the carnage is as much a victim as those who died. Abigail Hone, 12, was killed alongside her friend Ella Summerfield, 12, and Ella’s mum Sally, 49, in a crash at Rakaia, 67km southwest of Christchurch, on Saturday.
Mrs Summerfield’s husband, Shane, who was driving, was seriously injured.
A 52-year-old Dutch man will appear in Christchurch District Court today charged with three counts of careless use of a vehicle causing death and one charge of careless use of a vehicle causing injury.
Yesterday, Abi Hone’s family offered an olive branch to the man.
“They certainly feel for him and what he’s going through,” Hone family spokesman Darren Wright said of Abi’s parents, Lucy and Trevor. “At the end of the day we’ve all had lapses of judgment. Unfortunately this one had tragic consequences.” The Hones thought the tourist was “just as much a victim” in what happened in an area where the roads were narrow and the crossroad intersections difficult.
Ella’s older brother Sam and Abi’s two older brothers were said to be devastated at losing their “beautiful little sisters”, Mr Wright said.
No funerals have been finalised.
Wyn Mossman, a co-director with Mr Summerfield of Ferrymead Dental Clinic, said Mrs Summerfield, Ella and Abi had had a lot to live for.
“They’re just gorgeous people from great families who got involved thoroughly with the community.”
Mr Summerfield is in a serious but stable condition in Christchurch Hos- pital. It is understood he is conscious and aware of what happened.
The crash, and another fatality involving a tourist this Queen’s Birthday long weekend, has ignited debate on whether foreigners should be better educated before they are allowed on New Zealand roads.
Prime Minister John Key, also the Tourism Minister, said he did not believe changes were needed to current laws or testing requirements.
“If you look at the accident rate of tourists who come and drive in New Zealand versus New Zealanders themselves, it’s pretty consistent.”
car review editor Clive Matthew-Wilson, a road safety campaigner, called for a ban on travellers from renting cars until they had passed an online driving test.
Fewer than 2 per cent of fatal crashes involve foreign drivers and Assistant Commissioner of road policing Dave Cliff pointed to several initiatives in place to make sure tourists were educated on road rules.
“There’s an awful lot of information for people. You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.”
He said police were “hugely disappointed” at this weekend’s road toll, particularly after a high-profile “make it to Monday” safety campaign.
The official holiday period, which began at 4pm on Friday, ended at 6am today. Last night the toll stood at five. Last year no one died on the roads in the same period.