Seatbelt may have role in boy's death

The use of adult seatbelts may have contributed to the death of a young boy and critical wounding of his sister in a fiery head-on crash north of Auckland.

It is understood a pathologist found that Adam and Holly Pretorius, aged 4 and 6 of Redvale, had injuries consistent with wearing full-body restraints.

New Zealand law dictates that a child aged up to 5 must be strapped into a booster seat.

But Safe Kids NZ, based at the Starship hospital in Auckland, is in its second year of a campaign pushing for the age to be raised.

Director Ann Weaver said adult seatbelts were not made to fit the structure of a child.

"You need to be 1.5m tall before it fits correctly," she said.

"[An adult seatbelt] cuts across their neck and the lap part rides up to the soft tissue around their tummies, rather than sitting down on the tops of their thighs ... Adults have a stronger, more developed pelvis."

The Government's Safer Journeys 2020 NZ Road Safety Strategy includes proposals to bring New Zealand into line with international practice by increasing the legal booster seat age or bringing in a height requirement.

Sergeant Stu Kearns, of the Waitemata district serious crash unit, refused to comment on seatbelts worn in the Redvale crash until police had spoken to the children's grandmother.

"When she's well enough to talk, we will [speak to her]," he said.

The woman, in her 60s, was driving the car when it crossed the centreline of East Coast Rd - about 50m from the family home in Redvale - and crashed into an oncoming car on Friday last week.

The children's uncle, Brendon Spear, said she was physically okay but "very, very upset".

Police are investigating whether the grandmother blacked out or fell asleep at the wheel after she picked the children up from Stella Maris Catholic Primary School in Silverdale.

"It was noted that she passed out before the crash," Mr Spear said. But relatives were unsure how or why, as she did not have any known medical issues, he said.

A number of people stopped to pull the Pretorius siblings and their elder sister Alex, 9, from the flaming car.

Paramedics were unable to revive Adam, and Holly was taken to the Starship in a critical condition.

Alex and the grandmother have been discharged.

This week, Holly underwent eight hours of major surgery on her spine. She came through the operation well and has been taken out of an induced coma.

Her uncle said doctors hoped to move her into a ward.

"She's brilliant, she woke up straight away," Mr Spear told the Herald.

A family friend said parents David and Natasha Pretorius had got through the week one hour at a time, focusing on Holly's recovery.

Adam's funeral will be held this morning. Relatives have come from South Africa, Germany and Australia.

In a notice in the Herald, Torbay Kindergarten staff paid tribute to Adam as a "beautiful boy with a sweet smile and gentle nature".