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The grieving mother of a British tourist killed in a crash has found the woman who stayed by his side while he was dying.
Joseph Snode, 26, died in January 2024 after the car he had hitchhiked in crashed into a wall outside the Jackson Historic Tavern on the Otira Highway near Jacksons.
The driver, Dante Aorangi, 20, was sentenced to three months’ community detention, ordered to pay Snode’s family $5000 at $20 a week, and disqualified from driving for a year. Aorangi was driving from Karamea to Lyttelton with her grandmother and another relative when she picked up Snode.
A woman understood to have been driving along the road immediately after the crash stayed with Snode until emergency services arrived.
Snode’s mother, Elaine Snode, took to social media to find the woman.
“Bit of a long shot, but I’m trying to find a wonderful lady who stayed with my son Joseph when he was killed in a car crash outside the Jackson Historic Tavern on 28th January 2024,” she said.
“She has no idea how much we appreciated that she was with him in his final moments. The past two and a half years have been a painful blur, but I feel I would like to contact her if possible.
“Sadly, I have no name ... she may not be from NZ but thought this would be a start.”
She got more than 4000 responses from people trying to help put them in contact.
“I can not express how much all your love and support means to us. We live in the UK and feel a world away from NZ, but today I feel so much closer.
“Joseph really enjoyed his short time in New Zealand and we as a family hope to visit one day, to see the things he saw and those he didn’t get to see.
“We like to think he is still wandering in New Zealand with his tent and camera. Thank you all for your love and messages.”
After Aorangi was sentenced, Snode told the NZ Herald her son’s death had “completely changed our lives and brought darkness to our future”.
Snode said sentencing was “extremely stressful and painful”.
“We were horrified to find out the maximum she was given was three months’ community detention,” she told the NZ Herald.
“As a family, we decided that although we and all those who knew Joseph thought he deserved more, we would accept it and try to move on.
"We all make mistakes, and we hoped that Dante had learned that her actions have consequences and that she was remorseful for what had happened.”