A coroner has described the death of a Hamilton truck driver as tragic and avoidable.
File image. Photo: ivantsov/123RF
Jason Steve Cooper, a father of eight, died after he crashed into a bank near Mimi in North Taranaki in June.
The force of the impact threw Cooper from the cab of his Volvo and he was hit by a vehicle approaching from the opposite direction.
Coroner Mary-Anne Borrowdale found the 36-year-old was sleep deprived, ill, not wearing a seatbelt and had methamphetamine in his system.
Her report said Cooper had been feeling unwell in the days leading up to the accident on 4 June and had gone to stay near Whakatāne to prevent the children getting sick.
On his way back to Hamilton on 3 June, he stopped at a friend's place in Edgecumbe, leaving at about 10.20pm after turning down the offer of a place to sleep.
He told his friend that he would rest in his car when he arrived at the yard of his employer, the Regal Group.
Borrowdale noted, however, that the two hour and 20 minute drive from Edgecumbe to Hamilton would not have allowed him much time to rest before beginning his shift at 1am.
Cooper was scheduled to take a truckload of building supplies to New Plymouth, but hit an earth bank at about 3.45am.
The force of the impact extensively damaged the truck - which ended up about 45m up the road - and blew out the windscreen.
Cooper was thrown from the cab onto the opposite northbound lane.
An oncoming truck slowed to 80kmh but was unable to avoid hitting crash debris, in amongst which Cooper is believed to have landed.
"The driver stopped to lend assistance, as did another truck driver who was next on the scene. They searched for the missing driver, and had difficulty locating him. In due course, Mr Cooper's body was found in a ditch in the opposing lane to his truck," the report said.
A post mortem concluded that he died from multiply injuries and blood loss, but also noted "his lungs showed acute pneumonic inflammation, suggesting that he had
developed secondary pneumonia on the back of the flu".
Toxicology testing confirmed the presences of methamphetamine.
The report noted that methamphetamine use could lead to dangerous driving "due to overconfidence in driving skills ... taking unnecessary risks, aggressive and dangerous driving, impaired ability to react appropriately, and the driver can suddenly fall asleep as the stimulant effect wears off".
A serious crash unit investigation found no faults with the truck, nor had Cooper been driving at excessive speed and there were no signs he had lost control of the vehicle.
"The truck and trailer had struck the bank and trees on the left of the southbound lane; it appears that a lack of steering input would explain this, as it is a gentle right-hand bend.
"Tyre marks showed that the Volvo had continued straight without being steered to follow the roadway."
Fibres were found on a bracket above the windscreen were consistent with a jacket Cooper was wearing, indicating he had not been wearing a seatbelt and had been ejected from the cab.
"Tragically, the factors that led to the collision that killed Mr Cooper were avoidable," Borrowdale, who expressed her condolences to his family, said.
There was good evidence Cooper was sleep deprived when he started his shift, Borrowdale said.
"Waka Kotahi, the New Zealand Transport Agency, has publicised the risks of driver fatigue. The agency's publicly available resources include advice to shift workers, like Mr Cooper, on how to avoid fatigue while working shifts.
"They also include advice targeted to employers and employees. I commend these resources to the driving public."
She said although Cooper may have not known how sick he was "driving is a cognitively complex task and drivers who are unwell pose a risk to themselves and to others".
The dangers of driving under the influence of drugs had been widely publicised and a proposed law change to allow police to conduct roadside drug testing would be a welcome deterrent to such behaviour, Borrowdale said.
Similarly, the dangers of driving while not wearing a seatbelt were well known, she said.
Borrowdale found the cause of death was an accident and given the general nature of her comments she made no recommendations.