Dead driver ignored doc’s advice
Malcolm Gillanders-Ryan didn’t listen and he died because of it.
Following an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, Gillanders-Ryan, 77, was told that he should not be driving and that he should surrender his licence, according to a coroner’s report into his death released yesterday.
His wife tried hiding the car keys. She even removed a fuse from his vehicle to prevent him from driving, yet when Gillanders-Ryan discovered her strategy he was infuriated and insisted it be replaced.
Around midday on April 12, 2017, the couple – who live at Broadlands near Taupo¯ – received a phone call from their panel beater saying their Holden ute was ready to be picked up.
While Gillanders-Ryan’s wife wanted to wait and pick it up after Easter, Gillanders-Ryan insisted on picking it up that afternoon.
He drove the ute home; his wife followed.
Meanwhile, David Appleton was driving from Tauranga towards Taupo¯ in his work vehicle, a Toyota Hilux.
He’d just passed Centennial Drive when he saw GillandersRyan’s white ute coming in the opposite direction.
At a slight bend in the road, Appleton noticed the oncoming vehicle was close to the centre line.
‘‘He realised that it was starting to drift across the centre line, into his path,’’ Coroner Michael Robb wrote.
‘‘He began to consider whether he should swerve left or right in order to avoid the vehicle.’’
Any action came too late and the vehicles collided near the centre of the road.
Gillanders-Ryan suffered extensive injuries and died at the scene.
Constable Bayley Orr of the Bay of Plenty District serious crash unit concluded that although it was
‘‘Mr Gillanders-Ryan drifted into the southbound lane, as a result of a medical event, or as a result of inattention, or distraction while driving.’’
Coroner Michael Robb
drizzling that day, the wet surface was not a contributing factor.
No pre-existing mechanical faults were detected in either vehicle, there was no evidence to suggest that excessive speed was a factor and neither was alcohol or fatigue.
‘‘Mr Gillanders-Ryan drifted into the southbound lane, however, prior to impact he appears to swerve back,’’ Robb wrote.
‘‘He drifted into the southbound lane, as a result of a medical event, or as a result of inattention, or distraction while driving.’’
The extent of Gillanders-Ryan’s injuries was due to the age and design of his vehicle which did not have any modern safety features.
‘‘Upon impact, the internal cabin of the Holden was shattered, pushing the steering wheel into the left side of the driver’s seat.’’
Before Gillanders-Ryan’s death, Lakes District Health Board practice allowed a client to comply voluntarily with surrendering their licence before the NZ Transport Agency was contacted.
Now, Lakes DHB’s practice of giving patients the opportunity to voluntarily surrender their licence has changed.
The NZTA is now informed of all directions regarding driving.
This change has been in effect since April 20, 2017.