The Chinese driver of a van which crashed near Wanaka last year, killing three people, might have had as little as 20 minutes' experience driving on New Zealand roads.
Wing Fai Chan (62), also known as Allan, was driving a hired van.
At an inquest in Queenstown yesterday, Otago-Southland coroner David Crerar heard Mr Chan failed to give way at the intersection of State Highway 8A (Shortcut Rd) and State Highway 6, a rural 100kmh zone at the bottom of the Luggate hill, at 4.12pm on November 6.
In the van with Mr Chan were his wife, Kwai Tei Chong, known as Connie (62), friend Dominic Cheung (60) and his wife, Yin Wan Ng, known as Priscilla (57).
Mr Chan and two passengers in the van died. Mr Cheung was injured and was flown to Dunedin Hospital by helicopter.
The van's four occupants were Chinese nationals from Hong Kong.
The verge of the road was left littered with debris, including their suitcases.
They were travelling west along State Highway 8A towards the intersection and the driver of the Scania truck, Keith Dickison (66), of Alexandra, was travelling south on State Highway 6 down the Luggate hill.
Mr Dickison sustained minor injuries.
The victims were travelling in convoy with five Chinese friends, who were in another hired van.
Nicola Dougherty, of Hawea Flat, told Mr Crerar the two vans passed her on State Highway 8A, the Tarras-Luggate road, about 25 minutes before the crash.
They passed before the brow of an incline, an area with ''no passing'' lines painted on the road.
''I thought 'what are they doing?'. There's no way there was enough room to overtake before the brow of the hill. You couldn't see beyond it. The way they were driving made me angry. It was very dangerous.''
A statement by the driver of the other van, Yuen Ching Kong, said Mr Chan had taken over the driving about 20 minutes before the crash and, to Mr Kong's knowledge, it was the first time he had driven in New Zealand.
It is not clear who had been driving when the earlier passing manoeuvre was undertaken.
Mr Kong said he saw the truck coming down the Luggate hill and watched Mr Chan pull out into its path.
The truck ''appeared to be driving very fast'' and he would not have pulled out, he said.
Senior Constable Alastair Crosland, an Alexandra-based crash analyst, told Mr Crerar speed, alcohol and fatigue were not factors in the crash for either driver.
Visibility and road conditions were good and no mechanical faults were found.
It was estimated Mr Dickison was travelling at 84kmh in his truck when he reached the top of the hill.
His speed briefly peaked at 91kmh as he descended.
He slowed down immediately and the truck was doing 61kmh at the time of impact, Snr Const Crosland said.
The speed limit for the truck was 90kmh.
Mr Dickison ''reacted very quickly'' and the crash would have been unavoidable at any speed above 74kmh, Snr Const Crosland said.
Mr Dickison told the inquest the van was slowing down as it approached the intersection and ''it never occurred to me the driver would pull out''.
He estimated he was 25m-30m from the intersection when Mr Chan pulled out.
Mr Crerar said: ''For what it's worth, I echo what the constable said - the crash was not your responsibility.''
Adrienne Gaston, who lived in Luggate, was following Mr Dickison's truck down the hill.
About halfway down, she thought ''it did not look like [Mr Chan] was intending to stop''.
''I remember thinking `my God, I hope they stop' ... I was not surprised this happened. It was so clear to me this car was going to pull out. There was nothing the truck [driver] could have done.''
She pulled over, closed her eyes and heard a ''massive bang''.
By the time she got to the vehicle, it was surrounded by the occupants of the other van, who were hysterical, hyperventilating and crying, she said.
No members of the victims' families were in court. Mr Crerar reserved his findings to allow them the opportunity to read them first.
• Jessica Maddock
