Driver still sought after fatal April crash near Hastings

TRAGEDY: The scene of a two-vehicle crash which killed a Flaxmere man in April. Police are still looking for another vehicle with a driver thought to have been a cause of the collision. Photo / File

An inquiry into a crash that killed a man driving home from work near Hastings eight months ago has been unable to find another driver a coroner believes was the major cause.

In a report released this week, coroner Tim Scott says the other driver is probably aware of what happened but has chosen not to come forward to accept responsibility.

The crash killed 54-year-old Flaxmere dad and truck-and-trailer driver Ross Leslie Hallgarth when his 2007 Suzuki Swift collided with a Toyota Hilux utility driven by a woman, also from Flaxmere.

The crash happened on York Rd, between Hastings and Flaxmere, late on the Saturday morning of April 29.

Scott found that a green vehicle, probably a Honda, and its driver, believed to be a male Pakeha, caused the crash, although the four worn tyres on Hallgarth's vehicle contributed to it fishtailing along the road as he tried to avoid a collision.

The third vehicle had not been found and the driver had not been identified. Police, who made several public appeals after the tragedy, are still seeking information to help complete the investigation.

Police told the inquiry that the southbound green car tried to overtake into the path of the oncoming Hallgarth.

Hallgarth's Suzuki went out of control and collided with the utility as the green car returned to the side of the road.

The 20-year-old driver of the utility also left before emergency services arrived, because she was unlicensed, but she was not considered to have caused the crash, Scott said.

"[Hallgarth] and the unknown driver of the green Honda contributed to the crash," the coroner said.

"The unknown driver did so by attempting to pass in a dangerous place when he was too close to Ross' car, thereby creating the situation where Ross tried to avoid him and lost control of his car."

"Ross contributed to the crash because his car had four worn tyres."

The tread was illegally thin on three of the tyres.

"I am satisfied this either caused or contributed to him losing control of the Suzuki and fishtailing along the road before colliding with the utility vehicle," the coroner commented, finding death resulted from Hallgarth's multiple injuries.