'I held him for 20 minutes': Stranger sits with Rotorua crash victim in his final minutes

Police are investigating the circumstances of the crash, in which Ayush Karki died. Photo / File

Being first on the scene of a fatal crash last week near Rotorua has given John Cunningham flashbacks. Cunningham tells journalist Cira Olivier about how his trip to Rotorua from Taupō, one he does often, took a dramatic turn when he came across the crash. Cunningham held the sole occupant, a Rotorua man, in his arms until he died - something that was all-too familiar; he did the same for his brother 20 years earlier.

He was alone when his car left the road, but by the time he took his final breath, fatal crash victim Ayush Karki was not alone.

The 31-year-old was held by a stranger, Rotorua man John Cunningham, who was the first on the scene on Wednesday afternoon.

It was just after 2.30pm and Cunningham was driving his truck from Taupō to Rotorua, a road he drives daily.

A Honda overtook him on a short straight about 500m before a swooping downhill bend.

"I didn't think much of it, I was doing about 85km/h," he said.

He came around the end of the bend which opened on to the long straight on Tirohanga Rd and did not see the car.

"First thing that went through my mind was he must have floored it and, at the same time I was thinking that, I looked across to my right-hand side and I see the car in the paddock, some distance from where he went in."

He ran down the road to a milking shed as he called the ambulance, and he and another man ran toward the carnage.

The car had hit a small ditch which he said caused it to flip.

"There wasn't a straight panel left on [the car]."

The men climbed over the fence and searched the area, finding one man on the ground, seriously injured.

The man was 31-year-old Ayush Karki, who lived in Owhata, Rotorua.

"I held him for 20 minutes before he passed away."

He was laying on the ground, his car had rolled several times before it stopped around 20m from the point of impact, Cunningham said.

Ayush Karki worked at Sudima Hotel in Rotorua for the past 11 years and staff and management are devastated by his death. Photo / Supplied

Cunningham, with first aid training, held him on his side and stayed on the phone to paramedics.

It had been about 15 minutes when Karki drifted out of consciousness, his pulse went faint and then stopped.

Cunningham put Karki on his back under instruction from the ambulance controller and started to give CPR but eventually stopped when he realised it was too late.

"This is not good, he's passed away," he said to the controller.

Seeing the young man die in his arms took him back 20 years earlier to a crash which killed his brother.

"Flashbacks to when I had to pull my brother out of a car accident, the same thing," he said.

"It hit hard because he was about the same age as my brother."

Cunningham said Karki's family had been in touch and invited him to the funeral which he was upset he could not attend.

Karki was originally from Nepal and officially became a citizen in Rotorua nearly three years ago with his wife, who only wanted to be known as Mrs Karki.

She was not ready to speak about the crash to the Rotorua Daily Post.

He had worked at Sudima Hotel in Rotorua for the past 11 years in a range of roles, and most recently as a chef.

North Island Sudima Hotels general manager Ifti Hussain said the entire close-knit team was "in shock and devastated by this loss".

"Ayush was a much-loved colleague and friend."

Sudima Hotels chief executive Sudesh Jhunjhnuwala said the team was still coming to terms with the tragic news and the company would ensure everyone had the appropriate support.

"We will also offer our support to Ayush's family to ensure that they can manage through this sad time," he said.

New Zealand Nepal Society president Dinesh Khadak said he did not know the family personally but they were ready to help with whatever they needed.

Police are still investigating the circumstances of the crash.