‘Why did my old mate die?’
There are two questions that swirl through Barry O’Donnell’s head daily: Could his mate’s life have been spared, and is a young soldier the scapegoat for the failings of others?
His friend, Wairarapa-based Warren Carter, 71, died in August last year when a New Zealand Defence Force seven-tonne Unimog crashed into his car on a quiet intersection near Masterton.
Private Dayne Pennington, who had held a normal car licence for only five weeks, was the Unimog driver. After a day’s training, it was his first time on an open road in the truck.
A highly detailed police crash report concluded: ‘‘The actions of Pennigton, applying the incorrect foot pedals, must be considered as the prime causative factor in this crash’’ while ‘‘generally drivers will use the right foot for braking and accelerating’’.
The trainee, 24, pleaded guilty to careless driving causing death and was granted a discharge without conviction in Palmerston North District Court. He also faced an army court of inquiry.
In a statement to police shortly after the crash, Pennington referred several times to having been instructed to use the ‘‘left-footed braking technique’’.
I had to use my ‘‘left foot for the exhaust (brake), clutch and brake, right foot is strictly for accelerating’’, he told the crash investigation unit.
The Defence Force denies that this technique is taught but O’Donnell – speaking for the Carter family – is not buying it.
He has no doubt Pennington was instructed in the technique. ‘‘Why otherwise, considering his inexperience, would he even claim it?’’
O’Donnell also wants to know exactly why such an inexperienced driver – of a normal car, let alone a heavy truck – was allowed on an open road after only a day