Jet-boat driver Laurence Brett Singleton (51), of Queenstown, and passenger Anton Woitasek (34), of Lake Hayes, drowned after sustaining head injuries in the January 5 crash near Boyd Rd. The collision also left jet skier Mark Clay with serious injuries and friend Emma Eckhold with "severe, life-threatening head injuries".
The surviving passenger on the jet-boat, Paul Singleton, suffered minor injuries and rescued Mr Clay and Ms Eckhold by pulling them into the boat. The bodies of his two companions were not found until the next morning.
Coroner David Crerar in Queenstown yesterday heard a Maritime New Zealand investigation found "no apparent reason" why Mr Singleton, an experienced jet-boat operator, was on the wrong side of the river when the collision occurred.
MNZ case investigator Bruce McLaren said the primary cause of the collision was Mr Singleton's failing to follow the "fundamental principle" of keeping to the right-hand side of the river by travelling up the left side after stopping there to fish.
Mr Crerar said he would consider making a safety recommendation on the use of helmets for jet skiers.
'What would you say if I was to make the wearing of helmets for jet skiers compulsory?" he asked Ms Eckhold, who had been in a coma for several weeks after the accident and suffered post-traumatic amnesia for 91 days.
She replied it would be "a good idea".
In his evidence, Mr McLaren said had the two men been wearing life jackets at the time of the crash, it was possible they would not have drowned, and had Ms Eckhold been wearing a safety helmet her injuries many have been minimised.
Ms Eckhold told the Otago Daily Times after the hearing she was now "all right", but it had been a "long and hard" recovery process.
Counsel representing the families of the two men killed also made submissions citing the Traffic Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) report, which found that other factors, such as the speed of the vessels, were also involved.
Nicholas Davidson, who represented the families of the deceased, said their submission was not designed to apportion blame but to look at all the factors involved, including the lack of speed restrictions on the river.
Queenstown harbourmaster Marty Black said that contrary to the TAIC report, drivers could not travel on the left-hand side of the river, as had happened with the jet-boat - any such driving was against the law.
The jet ski was estimated to be travelling about 48kmh and the jet-boat between 30kmh and 35kmh when they collided on a blind corner. Mr Davidson said the "unrestricted speed" of boats travelling close to the shoreline of rivers such as the Kawarau needed to be addressed both in the Queenstown area and nationwide.
". . . our submission is that many factors have come together to cause this tragedy. "
However, Mr Crerar expressed concern about what such a restriction would mean for the operation of commercial jet-boats on rivers.
"My worry is that a call for a speed limit on the river will effectively cause a cessation of of jet-boating. They don't perform adequately at lower speeds."
Colin Clay, the father of Mark Clay, told the Otago Daily Times after the hearing it had been a "tragic" event for everyone involved.
Although he did not agree with a lot of the TAIC evidence presented, no-one was able to "turn back the clock" on what had happened.
As well as making brightly coloured life jackets compulsory all over New Zealand, he also called for the introduction of a 30m "barrier zone" from the river banks with a 5 knot speed restriction to make it safer for people using the river near the edges.
"You have got a whole lot more chance of seeing and avoiding an accident."
After yesterday's hearing, the sole survivor from the jet-boat, Paul Singleton said it was good to "get it over with".
"We were out there in the environment using it recreationally and I really hope that people can still do what we were doing out there, but in a safe environment. That's my wish."
