Uneven front suspension in fatal crash car

The Nissan Silvia driven in a fatal race in Upper Moutere had uneven front suspension, but expert witnesses say they do not believe it caused the crash.

Vehicle tester and crash investigator James Baker said he had inspected the car and found it did not have any mechanical faults that caused the accident.

Aaron Chalmers-Hill, 21, of Nelson, was killed last June after he lost control of his silver Nissan Silvia near Sunrise Valley Rd, at the entrance to Upper Moutere. It spun out, left the road and slammed into a felled tree.

Mr Chalmers-Hill had just before the crash overtaken a white Honda Integra, driven by Richmond man Ralph Karl Nathanael Bastian.

Bastian is charged with the manslaughter of Mr Chalmers-Hill and dangerous driving causing the injury of his passenger, Sean Mortimer.

Bastian and Mr Chalmers-Hill had raced at high speed over the 11km from the kart track at Redwood Valley to Upper Moutere. In answer to questions from defence lawyer Tony Bamford, Mr Baker agreed the front suspension in the Silvia, which was adjustable, was set at different heights on the left and right sides.

He said the difference in suspension could have been a possible cause of the crash, but said there were other factors such as speed, the camber of the road and the condition of the tyres that needed to be taken into account.

Daniel Myers, an automotive engineer who assists police in accident investigations involving modified cars, also inspected the Nissan Silvia following the crash.

Mr Myers said all the modifications on the car were legal.

He said the difference in the suspension on the different sides of the front of the vehicle could have been done to balance the vehicle because of the modifications carried out on it – for example, moving the battery around to make more space to allow for work to be carried out on the car.

The manslaughter trial in the High Court at Nelson is expected to continue into next week.

- © Fairfax NZ News