Husband loses fight to save his soul mate

Terry Lay pulled wife Sally from her submerged car but was unable to save her. Photo / Supplied

A businessman has told of his desperate attempts to save his badly injured wife after she drove off the road in bad weather and crashed into the sea.

Sally Lay, 62, died in Whangarei Hospital on Thursday, 15 hours after her husband Terry Lay cut her from the crashed car and gave her CPR until emergency services arrived.

A distraught Lay told the Herald on Sunday yesterday how the events unfolded.

He was following his wife's car in heavy rain on a windy Whangaroa Rd near Whangaroa township about 11.20pm when it disappeared.

They were about 500m from their home.

When he looked back he saw the headlights of the overturned car in the water.

Lay ran into the sea and smashed the passenger-side window. The car was submerged and the water was murky.

He was disoriented and struggled to find his wife: "It felt like forever. I found her but couldn't get her seatbelt off."

Lay grabbed Sally's hair and lifted her into an air pocket.

"I gave mouth to mouth and was screaming but she wasn't responding.

"I realised I was running out of air. I had to let go."

Rushing back to his vehicle he called 111 and found a knife and torch. He went back to Sally's car and cut her free.

Lay carried her to the water's edge and gave CPR till emergency services arrived.

Lay said Sally was his best friend and soul mate since they met on a blind date 24 years ago in Havelock North.

"We just clicked together. Absolutely best friends right from the beginning."

Lay is a fishing boat charter operator, and Sally owned Sally's Marina Cafe at the Whangaroa Big Game Fishing Club.

They had been at the cafe and were on their way home when the crash happened.

Terry's brother, Kevin Lay, said Sally was known as 'mummy' or 'mother duck' because she "was always fussing around taking care of everyone".

"She liked everyone and had a million friends. She always had a smile on her face.

"She was a keen marlin fisher. She'd caught 14 marlins in her time." he said.

About 15 years ago Terry and Sally moved to Northland after falling in love with the place.

They married soon after.

Kevin Lay said it was unknown why she had driven off the road.

"We don't know how it happened. For all we know there was some sort of medical condition.

"She knew the road really well and she wasn't going fast. There are no barriers so the wheels may have just gone off the side and the car tipped."

Sally is survived by five children and six grandchildren.

Her funeral will be held at the Whangaroa Big Game Fishing Club tomorrow.