Woman's tent death a freak accident, coroner says

A Christchurch woman killed when her tent was blown away was the victim of a "freak accident", Blenheim coroner Peter Radich has found.

Joanne Mary Davidson, 42, died from multiple high impact injuries when she fell onto concrete after winds took her tent during a storm on January 9.

Mr Radich said in Blenheim Coroner's Court yesterday the accident demonstrated the frailty of human life.

"If ever there was a freak accident, this was it," he said.

Mrs Davidson, husband Ross and their three children were camping at McCashin's holiday park, a private family owned holiday park, near Ngakuta Bay in the Marlborough Sounds.

The family had been walking the Queen Charlotte Track but abandoned it due to the deteriorating weather.

At the holiday park, they pitched their new tent near an accommodation block where they thought would be sheltered from the winds.

Picton Constable Mark Watson said Joanne and Ross Davidson went to bed about midnight, leaving their children sleeping in the accommodation block.

Others at the camp encouraged the couple to sleep inside but they decided to sleep in the tent, which Mr Davidson had strengthened with ropes due to the wind.

At about 2am Mr Davidson woke and was unable to sleep due to the tent flapping.

His wife was asleep and he decided to go inside, leaving her in the tent, Mr Watson said.

At about 4.30am a man sleeping inside the accommodation block said he noticed a change in the noise of the wind. It became very loud and violent and shortly after he saw something white flash past the window and heard a crash.

He went outside and found Mrs Davidson lying in her sleeping bag on the concrete -- her tent having blown away.

All attempts to revive her with CPR failed, Mr Watson said.

Police investigations the next day showed the tent had been blown 57 metres from its site and the floor ripped from the body of the tent.

A food bin nearby had a tent peg driven through it, showing the velocity of the winds.

MetService printouts had predicted winds in the area would reach 120km/h that night.

Mr Radich said there was nothing that anybody could have done to predict or prevent the accident, which reflected life's frailty.

"We all take it for granted until it just goes in an instant and it's too late to do anything about it."

- NZPA