The mother of a teenager killed as she crossed the road wearing an iPod said today's inquest brought some closure after an"absolutely horrendous" year.
Cushla Girling, 19, was struck by a four-wheel-drive in New Plymouth while walking home in the rain from her job at a bakery in September last year.
Her mother Carol Girling described her as "the daughter that every mother wanted".
"She was just one of the good ones. Nineteen years I put into loving and raising and nurturing and it's all wiped out in a couple of seconds," she said.
The inquest was held before Coroner Carla na Nagara at New Plymouth District Court.
It included details from the police serious investigation unit and an witness account from a driver who reached the scene moments after Cushla hit the bonnet of the car, said Ms Girling.
The witness spoke of seeing Cushla on the ground and parking his car across the road to block traffic so she couldn't be run over by other vehicles, she said.
The inquest also looked into whether she was on a pedestrian crossing when she was hit - a focus of police investigations following the incident.
Ms Girling and Cushla's father Brian attended the inquest as well as several family members and Cushla's best friend.
It was difficult hearing medical details about the injuries to her daughter, but Ms Girling said it was also good to hear facts about the police investigation.
The driver of the car that struck Cushla was charged with causing her death but the case was dismissed when he died in August.
Ms Girling said her daughter was very safety-conscious and refuted any doubts she had used the crossing.
"As her mother I can say wholeheartedly, 100 per cent she would have been on the crossing."
She also disputed the iPod her daughter was listening to contributed to the accident. She said Cushla usually took one earphone out when crossing the street so she could hear traffic.
Cushla had been living at home with her mother and twin brother Kieran. She planned to attend university, qualify to become a primary school teacher and then hoped to travel overseas.
Ms Girling praised the police for their their efforts throughout the case saying "the compassion they've shown has been fantastic".
Her safety message to other pedestrians was simple: "Just be aware of your surroundings."
The Coroner reserved her findings.