Funeral for Tauranga crash victim

Leigh Antoinette Rhodes and her partner Lance Carter. PHOTOS/SUPPLIED

The funeral for Leigh Antoinette Rhodes is underway at Pyes Pa Memorial Park.

Ms Rhodes and Kenny McCrae, the friend of Ms Rhodes' partner Lance Carter, were killed on July 29 while changing a tyre.

Mr McCrae was on his day off and had just been about to take a nap when his phone rang. It was his friend and neighbour Mr Carter, who he'd earlier been having coffee with.

Ms Rhodes had been driving east along State Highway 29a when her SUV got a flat tyre about 1km from Baypark Stadium. She had phoned Mr Carter, who then called Mr McCrae.

After reaching her car, the two men parked up and began jacking up the wheel while Ms Rhodes waved traffic past.

At the time, about 4.15pm, NZME understands that Ms Rhodes' SUV, parked in the left-hand side of the east-bound dual carriageway of the causeway, was protruding just centimetres on to the road.

As traffic merged around them, the wheel was taken off and the two men were just about to put the spare tyre back on when one car struck all three of them.

Mr McCrae died at the scene and Ms Rhodes and Mr Carter were taken to Tauranga Hospital with critical injuries. Ms Rhodes did not survive.

Mr McCrae was farewelled last week and Mr Carter remains in hospital.