A Chinese man faces a charge in the Oamaru District Court next week of careless driving causing death, after a police investigation into a fatal accident on the Lindis Pass highway on Thursday, following a joint operation involving North Otago and Cromwell police.
Police have yet to release the name of the Chinese man killed in the accident, but confirmed he was recently married to a woman flown to Dunedin Hospital by rescue helicopter after the crash.
The woman was in a stable condition in a general ward last night.
Constable Craig Bennett, of Kurow, said driver error caused the single-vehicle crash and was the main factor behind the police decision to lay the charge.
The dead man and his wife were rear passengers in the vehicle and were not wearing seat belts at the time of the crash, he said.
The driver of the 4WD rental car had negotiated a tight bend with a "little bit" of excess speed and there had been "no steering input until the car was well past the corner," Const Bennett said.
This indicated the driver had not been paying attention as he rounded the bend, he said. The car slid and rolled over after its rear wheels went into a ditch.
The dead man had been ejected through a side window as the vehicle rolled and his wife - sitting beside him - had sustained head injuries in the crash, he said.
"Considering the relatively minor injuries sustained by the front-seat occupants [wearing their belts], it is most probable the man would have survived if he had his seat belt on," Const Bennett said.
Victim Support were looking after the other three Chinese couples, who had been travelling together on their holiday from Shanghai, Const Bennett said.
The tourists had been taken through to Victim Support helpers in Dunedin on Thursday night, after they were interviewed by police at the Cromwell Police Station, Sergeant Mike Williams, of Cromwell, said.
It was understood that the man killed in the crash was recently married to the woman recuperating in hospital, Sgt Williams said.
The injured woman's condition was still being assessed at Dunedin Hospital, yesterday.
The group had wanted to be beside their companion, as she recuperated at Dunedin Hospital, Sgt Williams said.
Chinese Embassy officials were still trying to contact next of kin of the dead man and police could not release his name until they were successful, Const Bennett said.
The Otago Daily Times understands two members of the group are scheduled to return to Shanghai immediately, with the remainder of the group to stay in Dunedin.
Dunedin Tourism chief executive Hamish Saxton said the group of travel agents were on a self-organised holiday around New Zealand.
Dunedin Tourism staff extended their condolences to the group and were ready to assist the travellers and police victim support in any way needed, he said.
