Anthony John Deverson, 78, was driving along Summit Rd near Evans Pass Rd last week when his car went over a bank. No other vehicle was involved.
Mr Deverson lectured at Canterbury University from 1965 until 2001.
One of his former students, Heidi Quinn, remembers him fondly as a person and lecturer.
“I was a postgrad student in linguistics during the last few years Tony worked in the English department at [Canterbury University].
“I enjoyed the chance to sit in on his undergraduate class about the history of English and remember him as a friendly and kind man, who carried out fascinating research on New Zealand English vocabulary,” she said.
Mr Deverson’s other publications included New Zealand English Lexis: The Maori Dimension and A Revised Bibliography of Writings on New Zealand English.
Police have not yet determined the cause of the crash.
His death has been referred to the Coroner.
The Christchurch City Council will undertake an investigation into whether the road infrastructure played a role in the crash.
