Dad’s death prompts action
The road death of a young father has saved at least two others from losing their lives on the same stretch of road in very similar circumstances.
Jesse Bucknell, 27, died when the light truck he was driving ran into a large tree beside State Highway 2 near Napier.
Bucknell, the father of a 3-month-old boy, had either fallen asleep or was distracted when the vehicle left the road one March afternoon in 2015.
His death led to the installation of wire rope barriers the following year. In the past six months, those ropes have most likely saved two lives.
The latest occurred on the morning of September 2, in almost exactly the same spot as Bucknell’s death. It involved a man who fell asleep while his car was on cruise control at 90kmh in the 100kmh zone.
His car drifted left and collided with the wire barriers, collecting 22 barrier stabilisers before coming to rest.
Had the wire not been there, he would have collided with one of three large norfolk pines. Police officers who attended the crash said the driver would almost certainly have hit one of the trees, just metres from the road’s edge, and died.
After Bucknell’s death, police recommended to the New Zealand Transport Agency that wire rope safety barriers be erected along the stretch of road.
Senior Sergeant Greg Brown, who attended the scene of Bucknell’s fatal crash, said the death had really affected him, particularly the fact that Bucknell’s first child, a son, was so young at the time.
Brown rang NZTA engineers to ask why there were no wire barriers at the site, given the trees were so close to the road.
‘‘There were a number of historical reasons but the one that irked was a view from some people who were worried about their aesthetic impact.
‘‘Being able to describe that a young baby will grow up not knowing their father because the barriers weren’t previously in place was a powerful reminder to those that questioned whether the installation was required.
‘‘Not surprisingly, confronted with this reality, there was unanimous support for the proposal,’’ he said.
Bucknell’s widow, Ashleigh McAuley, said: ‘‘It’s comforting to know that out of something so tragic and painful, something positive has come from it to help prevent more loved ones being lost.
‘‘I think Jesse would be happy to know that, from his tragic accident, measures have been put in place to help protect others.’’