A broken family’s fatigue warning
A young man was on a mission to get New Zealand residency when he was killed in a crash, his family say.
Neeraj Sharma, 27, slipped into a coma within an hour of driving into the path of an oncoming truck at a Matamata intersection on March 20.
The Aucklander was pronounced dead two days later.
His family believe Sharma – an IT technician who travelled long distances for work – was too tired behind the wheel, cousin and family spokesman Ashwani Kumar said.
‘‘[Sharma] was working so hard,’’ Kumar said.
‘‘Everything that happened was just because of his fatigue ... He was too tired.’’
He drove long hours between Taupo¯ and Auckland for his work in IT, a job through which he hoped to get permanent residency in NZ, Kumar said.
Sharma moved to NZ from India as a student seven years ago and was on a work visa when he died.
‘‘He was only 27 and in such a high time of his life. He was so excited about living life here.’’
While the family don’t want to blame anyone, Kumar said it felt important to warn others.
‘‘My most important message to everybody, for all the young [adults] and anyone who has come here to study, don’t work too hard to please somebody else. Look after yourself.’’
While investigations are ongoing, early indications suggest that fatigue or distraction may have been contributing factors, Sergeant Steve Jones of the Waikato Serious Crash Unit said.
It was clear that, for some reason, the car hadn’t stopped at the stop sign and had gone through the intersection and into the truck’s path.
While police awaited toxicology results, drugs and alcohol weren’t suspected as a contributing factor.
It’s important people don’t get behind a wheel with only a few hours sleep, Jones said.
Sharma had also been driving an older car, with no airbags. It also had snow tyres fitted, which are dangerous for the roads when temperatures are over eight degrees.
With help from donations to a Givealittle page, the Indian High Commission, ACC and money Sharma’s friends had gathered, the family were able to send his body home to India.
Kumar wanted to thank those who helped, particularly Bhartiya Samaj Charitable Trust chairperson Jeet Suchdev, who helped the family coordinate the different agencies.
It has been a heartbreaking time for Sharma’s parents, who hoped he would have a wife and children of his own within the next few years, Kumar said.
‘‘[His father] was broken the day we told him what happened.
‘‘He just couldn’t take it. His mother couldn’t take it as well. ‘‘They were broken.’’ And Kumar’s wife – who was very close with Sharma – was in a state of shock for two weeks.
Sharma was a motivated and friendly man with a playful and outgoing nature, Kumar said.
Kumar’s children adored Sharma, who doted on them.
He remembers a fancy remote control car Sharma bought for his son’s first birthday.
‘‘He was playing with him and running around the house.
‘‘That’s what I see when I remember, him running around the house with my kid.
‘‘I don’t know how to tell [my kids]. They just know he has gone back to India.’’
When Kumar arrived at Waikato Hospital, a big group of his friends were already there, seeing what they could do to help wake him.
‘‘He had so many good friends ... We tried to talk to him, but he was in a coma within the first hour of the accident.
‘‘It’s such a shock for such a young man.’’
‘My most important message to everybody, for all the young [adults] and anyone who has come here to study, don’t work too hard to please somebody else. Look after yourself.’’
Family spokesman Ashwani Kumar