Death crash brings call from coroner

The Auckland coroner wants police to enforce the speed limit for vehicles towing trailers, following a fatal accident where a four-wheel-drive wagon plummeted off the Southern Motorway on to Victoria Park.

Mate Frankovich made the suggestion at the conclusion of an inquest into the deaths of Michael and Mary Bailey, which was held in the Auckland Coroner's Court yesterday.


The couple died in January after their vehicle went through a safety barrier and toppled off the motorway into the park.


The trailer it was towing remained on the motorway.


Their 15-year-old daughter, Katrina, was treated in hospital for moderate injuries.


The family had been returning to their Manurewa home from their bach in Whatawhiwhi, 41km north of Kaitaia.


Katrina is the youngest of the couple's four children.


She and her brother Kevin were among family members at the coroner's hearing yesterday, but they did not wish to speak to the Weekend Herald.


In his findings, Mr Frankovich said Michael Bailey, aged 44, died at the accident scene.


He had lost control while driving the Chevrolet Blazer at a speed of more than 100 km/h, which was well above the 80 km/h limit for towing a trailer.


The four-wheel-drive hit the median barrier and ricocheted across the road and through the safety barrier.


It hung over the edge for several seconds before the connection to the trailer broke and the vehicle plummeted 9m to the ground.


Mary Bailey, 47, died in Auckland Hospital that day as a result of extensive injuries.


Mr Frankovich said traces of cannabis were found in Mr Bailey's blood during the autopsy, but there was no evidence to suggest that had directly affected his driving, and the coroner excluded it from his considerations.


He said the weight of the trailer combined with the speed of the vehicle had created a "tremendous" momentum that propelled it over the edge of the motorway.


Mr Frankovich referred to a witness who testified early in the inquiry that the vehicle "looked like it had a death wish" as no corrective action was taken after Mr Bailey hit the barrier.


The vehicle would have hit the ground at 50 km/h.


Mr Frankovich said the inquest had identified that the safety barriers above Victoria Park "appeared to have some shortcomings."


Earlier yesterday, Opus engineer Graeme McLaren said it was the first time in 37 years that a vehicle had gone through the barriers and over the edge.

Steel pipes between the barriers have since been welded together to make them stronger.