Coroner found driver error was cause of triple road fatality near Matamata

Three people died in a two-car collision after a vehicle crossed the centre line on a long left-hand bend on State Highway 29 near Matamata in 2022. Photo / Google Maps

• A car crash near Matamata in 2022 killed three people.
• Associate Coroner Dan Moore found Jay Robert Acton’s car crossed the centreline into the path of another vehicle.
• Moore emphasised the importance of seatbelt use, after noting one of the people who died was not wearing one.

A car crash that killed three people near Matamata in 2022 was caused by “driver error”.

The collision happened on State Highway 29 in Waikato at about 5.30pm on September 16 that year.

A couple, Vili Lolohea Losaki, 52, and Polokola Kaimua, 50, were driving from Hamilton towards Tauranga in a Nissan Liberty.

Auckland man Jay Robert Acton, 44, was driving in the other direction in a Volvo V50 from Tauranga on the way to Cambridge.

In findings publicly released today, a coroner found that Acton’s car crossed the centre line into the eastbound lane and the path of the Nissan.

The two vehicles collided head-on, with the right-hand headlight the point of impact for both.

A person in a vehicle following the Nissan witnessed the crash and called 111 before going to help.

Ambulance staff were dispatched but all three people died at the scene.

Acton’s car crossed the centre line as he steered into a long left-hand bend.

A police investigator said this could have been caused by “driver distraction and/or fatigue”.

Associate Coroner Dan Moore said that while these could not be discounted, there was insufficient evidence to make a finding that they were the cause of the crash.

A blood sample showed Acton had traces of alcohol in his system, which might have come from a means other than drinking, and no other drugs of note.

Acton’s Volvo had a worn front left tyre and the Nissan had incorrect wheel nuts but neither factor was considered to have contributed to the crash.

Witnesses said both vehicles appeared to be travelling within the 100km/h limit, and the coroner said speed was also not considered a factor.

“I find that the cause of the motor vehicle incident was driver error on the part of Mr Acton,” Coroner Moore said.

The coroner released two sets of inquest findings today – one for Acton and one for Losaki and Kaimua.

He said that Polokola Kaimua (also known as Polokola Losaki) was not wearing her seatbelt at the time.

“There have been numerous driver safety campaigns stressing the importance of correct and consistent use of seatbelts,” he said.

“There is good reason for this: advice on the Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency website states that wearing a seatbelt reduces your chances of being killed or injured in a road crash by about 40%.

“I encourage all drivers and passengers to use their seatbelts at all times.”

Ric Stevens spent many years working for the former New Zealand Press Association news agency, including as a political reporter at Parliament, before holding senior positions at various daily newspapers. He joined NZME’s Open Justice team in 2022 and is based in Hawke’s Bay.