Kellyanne Pattinson died on January 17, 2018, when a northbound Bidfood truck lost traction on a wet bend of State Highway 1 south of Timaru and collided with her car. Coroner Alexandra Cunninghame released findings on the fatal crash, determining that the poor state of the northbound left lane directly contributed to the incident and calling for shelved road improvements to be revived.
Coroner Findings and Crash Details
Pattinson, a 31-year-old cook and caregiver described by her mother Helen as social, bubbly, happy, and outgoing, died at the scene. Coroner Cunninghame stated that the road’s surface had been “flushed,” a condition where tar rises to the top of the asphalt and creates slippery hazards during wet weather. Eyewitness Peter Hogg described the surface as “wet and greasy” when the crash occurred.
The truck driver, Andrew Brown, carried approximately 30 years of driving experience and had driven that specific highway section twice daily for over a decade. Approaching the bend at roughly 85km/h, Brown told investigators, “Coming up round the hill I felt the back of the truck go and next minute I’m heading across the road.” The vehicle slid 68 meters sideways across three lanes, leaving Pattinson no time to brake or swerve. Police investigated the collision and chose not to charge Brown, and Coroner Cunninghame noted there was no evidence that driver fault contributed to the crash.
Prior Safety Concerns and NZTA Response
Evidence presented to the coroner showed that the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) knew the road was in poor condition before the fatality. Records indicated that five loss-of-control crashes occurred within 250 meters of the site between 2012 and 2017, with four involving northbound traffic. NZTA placed a “slippery when wet” sign about 480 meters before the corner but performed no further corrective work prior to the crash. “Given the documented concerns about the road, I am not satisfied that NZTA’s earlier steps were adequate to ensure public safety,” Coroner Cunninghame said.
Other motorists experienced similar hazards on the corner. Both Hogg and driver trainer Bruce Kennedy testified that their trucks’ rear wheels had slid out on the same corner during wet days shortly before the incident. Following Pattinson’s death, NZTA resealed the lane three days later and subsequently added rumble strips, extra signs, and further surface treatments.
Shelved Safety Projects and Future Outlook
Three years after the fatality, NZTA drafted the SH1 Timaru to St Andrews Safety Improvements Project to install continuous median barriers, targeting a completion date of February 2026. However, construction did not proceed because the agency reported the plan did not “align with government priorities.” NZTA dropped the median barriers in 2024 following opposition from residents and business operators. Local MPs Miles Anderson and James Meager had written to then-transport minister Simeon Brown, arguing that barriers would restrict farm machinery, milk tankers, and stock trucks from accessing properties. The minister stated that lower-cost measures, including wider centre lines, road widening, and surfacing work, would replace the barriers.
Coroner Cunninghame recommended that the median project proceed despite funding hurdles. “While I accept that funding priorities may be a matter outside of NZTA’s direct control, I make the above recommendation as a way of ensuring continued focus on the need to improve safety on a stretch of road which has claimed a life,” she stated. In response, NZTA acknowledged the findings and expressed sympathies to Pattinson’s family, noting that the agency has made “no further progress” on corridor safety work and remains unable to advance the major upgrade due to ongoing funding availability.