Widow seeks ‘truth and justice’

The widow of a pedestrian killed by an elderly driver who suffered a blackout in Oamaru has criticised the man’s doctor for letting him drive and the police for their delayed investigation.

Midge Henderson, the partner of Gerald James Cowley who was killed when a car crashed into him on a footpath on January 11, 2016, told a Coroner’s Court inquest that the driver, William Arthur Lee, was not fit to drive after having complained of dizziness to his doctor a month prior.

Lee’s GP, Dr Margaret Larder, told coroner Marcus Elliott that when she saw Lee on December 7, 2015 he told her ‘‘the episodes [of dizziness] always occurred when he was in bed and were always resolved when he sat up’’.

‘‘He did not report any episodes of blacking out and I could find no reason for the dizziness from this examination,’’ she said.

‘‘I could only make decisions based on the information available at the time. If I am found to have been negligent I will sincerely say sorry, knowing nothing will bring Mr Cowley back.

‘‘I believed at the time, and I still do, that I applied the appropriate guidelines.’’

Sergeant Antony Woodbridge said police were concerned when they discovered Lee collapsed from a blackout at an eye clinic on February 28, 2013.

Larder said she was aware of the incident at the time of the early December consultation, but felt because 22 months had passed since the incident, it did not impact his ability to drive.

GP specialist Dr John Clark said the 2013 blackout had a ‘‘clearly defined cause’’ and was a ‘‘one-off event’’. He did not believe Larder had committed any wrongdoing on December 7, 2015.

‘‘I have gone through Dr Larder’s report and found that she has done a thorough investigation.

‘‘The symptoms he [Lee] was describing were vague and not occurring during the day. These symptoms are not a good reason to withhold a medical certificate.’’

Henderson said she also felt police were slow to investigate, alleging they took months to interview the driver, his GP, and witnesses.

‘‘I was worried sick about how many people in power were making all these big decisions without all the information,’’ Henderson said.

She alleged it was only through her persistence that five months after Cowley’s death, police conducted the interviews.

Henderson said

‘‘truth and justice’’

‘‘This is the last thing I can do for Gerry, is to get the truth.’’

At the inquest’s conclusion, Elliott said interested parties had two weeks to make further written submissions. His recommendations would centre around changing the GP guidelines that allowed Lee, an elderly man with compounding health issues, to keep renewing his licence.

Henderson said she also felt police were slow to investigate, alleging they took months to interview the driver, his general practitioner, and witnesses. she just wanted