Man drowned after night out

A Napier man died when he fell 10-15m down a bank and accidentally drowned in a creek after a night out drinking in Ohakune.

Coroner Carla na Nagara yesterday released her findings into the death of Napier man James (Jamie) Rollo Berry, 30, who died in the early hours of June 15 last year. Berry and his partner had travelled from their home in Napier to Ohakune that weekend to visit his cousins and see a local band at a bar.

During the night out at the bar, Berry became involved in an argument with his partner following a dispute with another bar patron.

He became agitated, so while one cousin stayed with him, his other cousin drove some friends home.

When he returned to collect him in the vehicle, he was told by his brother Berry had climbed a nearby deer fence and immediately disappeared out of sight.

Initially thinking he was having some quiet time, or had walked out of the paddock from the other side, he was unconcerned.

But with gumboots and by torchlight, they discovered a 10-15m drop off on the other side of the fence, and at the bottom of the paddock, found Berry face down with half his body submerged underwater. Emergency services were called where he was pronounced dead.

His blood alcohol reading was 168 milligrams per 100ml of blood, which was considered to have contributed to his drowning following the fall.

The legal limit for a driver 20 years old or over is 80 milligrams per 100ml.

A post-mortem examination revealed the cause of death was drowning, although the pathologist noted a minor head injury received in the fall could have contributed to his ability to pull himself from the water.

"At the time he climbed the fence Jamie was agitated and angry, and under the influence of alcohol," the coroner's report stated.

"His cousins, with whom he had been socialising the previous evening, responsibly took all reasonable steps to stay with him and get him home safely, but Jamie managed to get away from them, and tragically fell to his death."

No recommendations were made.