Death of woman in 2018 ‘completely preventable’
The coroner has found a head-on crash in which Waitara woman Olivia Renee Keightley-Trigg was killed was entirely the fault of the oncoming driver who swerved across a double yellow line into her path. Keightley-Trigg, 18, died on August 28, 2018 after a ute driven by Kevin Bishell crossed the centre line and collided with her car. “Ms Keightley-Trigg’s actions were not a causative factor in this crash,” Coroner Ian Telford said in his report, released yesterday. Bishell was charged with driving dangerously causing death and refusing to give a blood specimen to a medical officer. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced on November 12, 2019 to 30 months of imprisonment, was disqualified from driving for four years, and required to pay $1000 in reparation. Keightley-Trigg was driving back home to Waitara about 6am on the day of her death, in a Toyota Vitz after dropping friends at the airport. At the same time Bishell was travelling towards New Plymouth near Big Jim’s Hill. An off-duty police officer who was travelling behind Bishell remembered the Ford’s driver being eager to overtake his vehicle, the report said. “As they approached a passing lane the witness thought the Ford’s passing manoeuvre ‘was aggressive’ as it moved into the passing lane.” As the Ford was overtaking it crossed the double yellow centre line and travelled into the opposing eastbound lane, into the oncoming Toyota’s path. The vehicles collided in a head-on impact, which caused both vehicles to spin and end up off the road. Keightley-Trigg was killed in the crash. The Coroner noted the report from the police serious crash unit said the road and environment did not contribute to the crash. There were no contaminants on the road and neither of the cars had any faults that would have caused or contributed to the collision. The police investigation found the Toyota was entirely within its correct lane when struck by the Ford. The Ford’s speed was calculated to be between 113kph and 119kph at the time of impact where the speed limit was 100kph. “It is obvious to say that the tragic loss of this young life was completely preventable,” the report said.