The inquest into the death of a Korean tourist in July last year prompted Coroner David Crerar to warn the public about the danger of driving in winter conditions. Police said she might have survived if she had been wearing the fitted seat belt.
Keung Hee Park (45), a Korean national living in Australia, was part of a tour group of 12 people, heading from Te Anau to Milford Sound on the morning of July 9, 2009, when the bus she was travelling on crashed on the Milford Road (State Highway 94) near Te Anau Downs.
At Tuesday's inquest in Te Anau, Coroner David Crerar said Ms Park died from severe head injuries she sustained when she was thrown from the bus and trapped underneath it.
Grace Tours owner/driver Whan Ki Choi, who drove the crashed bus, said he hit black ice and lost control of the bus. The bus turned 180 degrees, went off the road and rolled, landing on its roof at the side of the road.
He said he had driven on the Milford Rd many times over the past ten years, and was very aware of the summer and winter driving conditions on the road.
Senior Constable Andrew Grant, of Te Anau, was at the accident scene, and told the inquest the bus had appeared to be in a well maintained condition, and no mechanical defects which could have contributed to the crash were found.
He said the bus was fitted with seat belts, but Ms Park had not been wearing one at the time of the accident.
"It is highly probable that had she been wearing a seat belt, she may not have been thrown from the bus," Snr Const Grant said.
