Fatal crash result of jammed shoe?

An elderly Whakatu motorist may have been trying to remove his shoes before a crash ended his life on January 20, a coroner's report has revealed.
It was only after an extensive helicopter search that Alex Binns, 69, was discovered dead in his Ford Falcon four days after his vehicle plunged off a steep bank and landed upside down in trees off the Napier-Taupo road.
A coroner's report released yesterday stated the retired truck driver was found within his car, suspended in his seatbelt near the Te Haroto summit.
He had been heading home to Hawke's Bay from Matiere, about 33km west of Taumarunui, and drove for about two and a half hours before the midday crash.
Pathologist Katherine White indicated it was probable that the grandfather was alive for some time after the crash because blood smears had been found on the dashboard.
That meant death as a direct result of his existing heart disease had been "less likely", Dr White said.
While an autopsy revealed ischaemic heart disease, including narrowing of four major coronary arteries, it was not possible to attribute the crash, nor his death, directly to heart disease, the report stated.
However, people with heart disease would be more susceptible to restricted blood flow and impaired respiration due to the upside-down position, Dr White said.
A police crash investigation, which was hampered by heavy rain and the frequency of passing vehicles in the four days it took to find Mr Binns, suggested the Falcon slid across a grass verge with the brake applied for 33 metres before descending the bank about midday.
Mr Binns' leather shoe, found stuck hard under the brake pedal, may have been the result of the car tumbling, investigators said, yet it was also possible he was using his left foot to remove his right shoe, which had then become wedged under the pedal, making depression of the brake impossible.
A scene examination found the handbrake fully on, though this could have been applied as he attempted to escape the upturned vehicle, an officer said.
Coroner Chris Devonport said the reason for the car leaving the road was not known. Yet he was satisfied the heart condition combined with Mr Binns' upside-down position had caused death.