Argument preceeded fatal Anzac Day crash

A serious crash investigation found the road was dry, weather fine and there were no mechanical faults. Photo / File

A man killed himself and a pedestrian when he lost control of his car following an Anzac Day argument with his girlfriend who stormed out, a coroner has found.

On April 25 this year, Alekh Acharya, 22, fought with his partner - she then went for a walk and Mr Ancharya followed her in a car. After chasing her down on Frankley Rd, an arterial road in New Plymouth, he stopped and asked her to get in. She declined and the salesman took off "at speed", according to a report by Coroner CJ Devonport released today.

Mr Ancharya sped through a 50km/hr zone, drove on the wrong side of the road while overtaking two cars "slightly fishtailing" and narrowly avoided a collision with an oncoming car.

A family with two young children was travelling in that car and the driver, Paul Phillips, said he braked heavily and honked at Mr Ancharya.

However, while swerving out of the way, he lost on control of his Toyota and careered on to the footpath, striking "innocent pedestrian" Ronald Victor Millman, 67. The administrative clerk had just walked past a young couple pushing their 5-month-old baby in a pushchair.

Mr Millman was thrown 15m and suffered fatal injuries. Mr Acharya died at the scene from injuries he sustained when his car hit a wooden retaining wall.

Senior crash analyst Les Maddaford said in his opinion the road was dry, the weather was fine, overcast and dry, there were no mechanical faults there were no contaminants found that may have contributed to the crash, the report stated.