Driver sentenced to community work, supervision after farmer killed in ‘dramatic’ crash

It may be because of that

accident and the subsequent head knock that you find it difficult, even after this hearing of

all the evidence, to accept the consequences of your driving that day where a man lost his life.

Rotorua District Court Judge

Eddie Paul

“The collision was caught on CCTV. It was dramatic. It resulted in your vehicle ending up against the supermarket wall,” Judge Paul said.

He said the crux of his decision was that it seemed Curtis was distracted and therefore his driving fell below the standard of a competent and reasonable driver.

“He did turn away at the time, as he demonstrated, and in a matter of seconds and at the speed he was travelling, sadly his vehicle has entered the same lane as Mr Houpapa.

“Clearly Mr Curtis has been looking away at the time because otherwise he would have seen the imminent danger and would have braked or attempted to avoid it. None of those things occurred.”

Judge Paul noted in sentencing there was too little evidence to support Curtis’ blackout defence “to raise even a reasonable doubt”.

“It may be because of that accident and the subsequent head knock that you find it difficult, even after this hearing of all the evidence, to accept the consequences of your driving that day where a man lost his life.”

Judge Paul read part of Houpapa’s wife’s victim impact statement. She said she was a 61-year-old Māori woman living in Taumarunui running the family farm she had owned with her late husband. They had been married for 24 years.

“Emotional harm has been immense with the loss of my husband. He was the rock in our family.”

She described “major family issues” after his death and said the stress of losing him had impacted her health. She had spent a lot of time in hospital and her health had deteriorated, she said.