Prior to the crash the driver's boyfriend had broken up with her. In a state of distress she had driven off in her car. Scott considered the possibility that the driver intended to crash into a tree or a drainage ditch but found that to be unlikely "as the area where the crash occurred is and was largely free of such obstacles".
"There is no logical or likely explanation for how and why the crash occurred other than it being an attempt by [the driver] to take her life.
"[The driver] had a history of suicidal thoughts and there were occasions where she came close to attempting suicide."
Neil McGarva, brother of Pam McGarva, speaking to media outside the High Court in Napier. PHOTO/Paul Taylor
Scott thought the driver had made a "snap decision" to drive into the other car in the hope that it would cause her own death.
"I do not think that she meant to cause harm much less death to Pamela. To my mind she was thinking about her own position and what the outcome might be rather than intending to cause any harm to Pamela."
The coroner suppressed the driver's name, along with some other names, medical information and evidence.
Scott found the evidence given by the driver's father at the inquest hearing to be unreliable. Her father said that he had never had any concerns about the driver being suicidal. But he then made the concession that he had called the police once before about the possibility the driver was suicidal.
In a recording of the phone call to police he said "there is also a chance she might just drive into someone and kill herself or someone else".
The driver refused to make a statement to police and didn't give evidence at her jury trial.
