Fatal crash victim's son died in crash eight years earlier

Scott Truger died in a crash in Waikanae on Friday. His 4-year-old son Konrad died in a crash eight years ago. Photo / NZPA/Supplied

The Otaki man who died in a crash between a car and truck in Waikanae on Friday was Scott Robert Truger, whose 4-year-old son died in a car crash eight years ago.

Scott Truger, 43, died when his car and a truck collided on State Highway 1 north of Waikanae on Friday.

His son Konrad Truger, who was born in a car, died in a car crash in January 2008.

Wendy Connon, Konrad's mother and Truger's ex partner, was driving at the time and was convicted of Konrad's manslaughter in 2009.

The funeral for 4-year-old Konrad Truger who died as a result of a car accident at Kahutara. Photo / Lynda Feringa

She is believed to have smoked cannabis before driving.

A coroner found Konrad was insufficiently restrained when his mother lost control of the vehicle on a sweeping bend while travelling up to 140km/h. He was flung 30m from the vehicle.

A dog had been sitting on a diagonal seatbelt that should have been available for Konrad, the coroner said.

Two other children in the car were wearing seatbelts, but Konrad was wearing only a lap belt when the car left the road, flipping and rolling several times.

Scott Truger told the court at Connon's sentencing the loss of his son was "heart wrenching and would never stop hurting''.

Connon was sentenced in the High Court to six months' community detention, two years' intensive supervision including drug counselling and psychiatric assessment, 200 hours' community work in road safety and child welfare programmes, and was disqualified from driving for two years.

Police are still investigating the crash that killed Truger on Friday.