Ruling ends difficult ordeal
Work injuries and his dad’s death hard time for Sonny Kingi
He battled serious arm and leg injuries after a transformer collapsed on him at work, but then Sonny Kingi was faced with an even bigger horror — the killing of his dad.
In August 2016, a 30m temporary power pylon Kingi was working on at Ruakura Rd in Hamilton collapsed and he suffered critical injuries.
Eleven months later, his father, Norman Kingi, 54, was fatally stabbed in the heart after he and his partner confronted two teenage girls who were breaking into his car on Hamilton’s Ranui St.
Speaking after his employer, Electrix, was fined $332,060 as a result of a Worksafe prosecution over his pylon accident, Kingi, 23, said he was pleased the saga is over.
“I’m happy to have it all over now . . . it’s been a long time.”
He said his boss has been supportive. “Everyone at work is pretty close, we’re all a pretty tight pack.”
As for his father’s death, a 16-yearold was found guilty of Norman Kingi’s manslaughter in a trial in Hamilton last month. She will be sentenced next month.
Kingi and several colleagues, including his father, were diverting a transmission line for the Waikato Expressway and building of an inland port when his accident happened.
At a pre-construction risk workshop the risk of the transmission tower, or Lindsey Modular Emergency Restoration Structure [LER], collapsing has been assessed.
LERs must be supported by four steel cables, which must remain connected and tensioned while the structure is being used. But a last-minute decision was made to lower the new towers due to soft ground.
On August 17 Kingi climbed to the
top of the LER to help dismantle it, but after disconnecting three cables there was nothing left to support it and the tower toppled.
His injuries included bilateral knee dislocations, compound right radius and ulna fractures with a pulseless arm and compartment syndrome in his right forearm and left leg, which disfigured and disabled him.
Electrix later admitted failing to ensure the safety of its workers and that failure leading to serious injury.
Judge Melanie Harland, releasing her reserved decision yesterday, took
into account a $40,000 payment the company made to Kingi a month after the incident and its support including medical costs and re-employing him.
Electrix also plans to pay for him to complete a four-year Wintec civil engineering degree, costing $75,000.
Judge Harland labelled the company’s response to the incident as “exemplary”. However, it was now Electrix’s sixth Worksafe prosecution.
She felt its emotional harm reparation offer of $15,000 was too low. It must pay a further $40,000, a $332,060 fine and costs of $1759.50.
I’m happy to have it all over now.
Sonny Kingi