Woman dies on way to funeral

ADDING TO THE TOLL: Dawn Gibson received news of a close friend’s death and decided to return to Wellington to attend the funeral.

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Dawn Gibson cut her Christmas holiday short to drive home to Wellington for a friend's funeral. Now her devastated family are preparing her own service.

Family of the 70-year-old "social butterfly" spoke to The Dominion Post yesterday as two more names were added to the holiday road toll.

At least five of the 13 people killed so far this holiday period were not wearing seatbelts – including one drunk driver who was put into a taxi after a work function but got the taxi driver to leave him at his car.

Mrs Gibson, a mother of three from Lower Hutt, died when her car crossed the centre line and crashed head-on into another car on the Desert Road near Waiouru about 2.40pm on Tuesday.

Leanne Gibson said her mother had been holidaying with family in Hamilton for Christmas when she learned a friend had died in Wellington and decided to return for the funeral.

She was asked to take regular breaks on her journey south and the family had also arranged for her to send them regular text messages, so they knew she was OK.

A text at 12.30pm said she was filling up her car with petrol near Tokoroa. Traffic was bumper-to-bumper and the journey slow, the text said. The family expected another message about 2.30pm – but it never came.

By 5pm, Ms Gibson was thinking it was "unusual" her mother had not made contact. She read a story on Stuff.co.nz about a 70-year-old woman who had died in a crash and asked her brother: "What do you think the chances are it's mum?"

She called Waiouru police to "eliminate it as an option", only to be told the "horrible" news.

Ms Gibson said her mother was a "vibrant, social butterfly" and the family were shocked to learn she was part of the road toll.

"Mum was one of the safest drivers that I know in that she was always on about `go slow, keep alert'. For something like this to happen to mum, an alert, safe driver, means it could happen to any one of us."

Son-in-law Chris Lee said the family were glad to hear that it was likely the four others injured in the crash were going to be okay.

Mrs Gibson and the four survivors were all wearing seatbelts, but at least five of the summer fatalities were not.

Teenage sisters Merepeka and Brooklyn Morehu-Clark – who were farewelled at a tangi in Tauranga yesterday – were not wearing seatbelts when they died in a crash on Christmas Day. Their 20-year-old cousin is facing manslaughter charges.

In Canterbury, three men in their 20s have died in separate crashes after drinking, speeding and not wearing a seatbelt.

Apprentice carpenter Daniel James Mercer, 20, lost control of his car and ended up in the Avon River about 4am on Christmas Eve. His mother, Susan Mercer, an intensive care nurse at Christchurch Hospital, said: "They [young men] think they're invincible and I just don't know how we change it. I see the results of accidents all the time. It's a tragic loss of young men."

About 2am yesterday, a 21-year-old man was thrown from his car and died after driving into a lamp-post in Ferry Rd in Woolston, Christchurch.

Canterbury road policing manager Inspector Al Stewart said the man had been drinking, was seen speeding and was not wearing a seatbelt. His female passenger, who was buckled up, sustained only minor scratches.

At 6.45pm on Christmas Eve, Gareth Toby Waller, 29, died after his car left the road and rolled into the Waihi River in South Canterbury.

Mr Stewart said Mr Waller was offered a ride home but refused and drove himself, while Mr Mercer was put into a taxi after a work function but got the taxi driver to leave him at his car.

Yesterday, police also confirmed a second person died after a head-on collision on the West Coast on Wednesday.

About 4pm, a car and campervan collided on State Highway 6 north of Haast. An 82-year-old man from Dunedin died at the scene and a 53-year-old woman from Germany died later.

The holiday period runs till January 4.

HOLIDAY ROAD TOLL

December 30, 2.45pm: A man and a woman killed in a smash on SH1 north of Paraparaumu.
December 29, 2am: A man died in a single-car crash in Woolston, Christchurch.
December 28, 4pm: Two people died after a car and a camper van collided on State Highway 6, north of Haast.
December 27, 2.39pm: Carol Dawn Gibson, 70, of Lower Hutt, died in a two-car crash on the Desert Road.
December 27, 9.30am: An elderly pedestrian died after being hit by a car on State Highway 1 in Wellsford, near Auckland.
December 25, 9.30pm: Jasmine Wairingiringi Gray, 52, died after she was struck by a courier van at Horotiu, north of Hamilton.
December 25, 4.20pm: Teenage girls Brooklyn Morehu-Clark and Merepeka Morehu-Clark were killed when a car and a ute collided in Welcome Bay Rd, Tauranga. Four people, including a toddler, are hurt.
December 24, 6.45pm: Gareth Toby Waller, 29, died when his car rolled into the Waihi River, South Canterbury.
December 24, 12.15pm: Doris Bevins Strong, 78, was killed when her car and a light truck collided on State Highway 3, south of Waitara.
December 24, 4am: Daniel James Mercer, 20, died when his car went off the road and into Christchurch's Avon River.