Coroner suppresses name of Rotorua man who died in Malfroy Rd crash

The damage from a crash where a man died on November 1. Photo / Ben Fraser

A coroner has taken the unusual step of suppressing the name of a man who died in a crash in Rotorua at the start of the month.

Police routinely release the names of people who have died in crashes after their next of kin have been notified.

However, the name of the man who died after a crash on Malfroy Rd on November 1 has been suppressed by Coroner Wallace Bain.

Coroner Bain issued the interim order saying pursuant to section 74 of the Coroner's Act 2006 he was suppressing the man's name "in the interest of decency and personal privacy and family sensitivities".

The coroner said the order was unlikely to be permanent.

The 24-year-old man received critical injuries in a crash where he was fleeing from police.

The vehicle he was in crashed through three properties, coming to rest on its roof up the driveway of a house.

The man died of his injuries in Waikato Hospital overnight the following day.

An investigation into the crash is ongoing, and the incident has been referred to the Independent Police Conduct Authority.