The moves by the Southland District Council to enhance safety at the accident site fulfilled the recommendations Hastings Coroner Christopher Devonport proposed to make after a hearing in chambers into the February 4 crash.
''Better warning of the approaching bend as it enters the bridge seems appropriate,'' he said in his findings released yesterday.
Mr Devonport found Uri Tak Kau Law, of Canada, (59) died from drowning in the river after his 10-seater Toyota Hiace rental van hit the side of and crashed over a one-lane bridge into the river.
Mr Law, his family and his Hong Kong-based family and friends were in New Zealand for a wedding in Auckland and were visiting Queenstown.
That day they had decided to go parasailing and hiking an hour out of Queenstown and afterwards decided to find people fishing so they turned down Nokomai Rd, a gravel road, travelled over the bridge and stopped to take photographs while some went for a walk, before driving back down the road.
Police had noted Mr Law, who had some experience in the past driving on the left hand side, appeared to have been carefully keeping well to the left in case there was another car coming on the one-way bridge, he said.
While there was no evidence of poor driving or speeding, the reality was, Mr Law had been driving the van in such a way it struck the left side of the bridge. He then lost control of the van, which mounted the edge of the bridge and crashed through the wooden handrail and wire fencing, Mr Devonport said.
The van landed on its side, in the river trapping Mr Law underwater. He had been partially ejected and trapped under the van.
Other members of the group, including his wife and two daughters and his Hong Kong-based brother and three sisters, managed to free themselves from their seat belts and escape by pushing a window out and opening the sliding door.
Two Australian fishermen nearby ran to their help and assisted the four females trying to lift the van off Mr Law while his brother rang for help.
They were not able to free Mr Law, who by that stage had been underwater for 10 minutes. He was later removed from the wreckage by the police following the arrival of heavy lifting equipment.
Mr Law's wife Diane St Germain-Law suffered a fractured neck and was in hospital for a week while other members of the group received more minor injuries.
There were no mechanical faults with the van.
