Driver who killed cyclist Brent Norriss was on his phone before the crash
Wednesday, 4 November 2020
Khing Tiang Wong scanned the screen of his phone moments before his vehicle hit and killed cyclist Brent Norriss.
Before dispensing his sentence at the Hutt Valley District Court on Wednesday, Judge Quentin Hix described how Wong, 47, was checking GPS coordinates before the two men’s worlds “quite literally collided”.
Norriss, 65, died when he was struck by Wong’s vehicle while riding his bike on State Highway 2 between Wellington and Lower Hutt on February 3.
For the charge of dangerous driving causing death, Hix sentenced Wong to six months of community detention and banned him from driving for 18 months. Wong had earlier pleaded guilty.
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In summing up, Hix acknowledged Wong’s “genuine remorse”.
He said it was difficult for the court to make a decision that could adequately address the pain of everyone involved. He described Wong and Norriss as family men and noted the distress to all parties resulting from a moment of inattention.
He had earlier heard Norriss’ daughter, Rebecca McLean, read her own victim impact statement and those of her family members.
McLean described her father as a “fit old bugger” whom she was looking forward to racing the Coast to Coast with in 2021.
She recounted how her mother would receive a text each day from Norriss, telling her he’d made it home safely, but how she had not received that routine message on February 3.
She wanted Wong to understand the deep sense of sadness and loss her family had experienced following her father’s death.
Wong stood with his head bowed in the dock as she spoke.
His lawyer Chris Nicholls read a letter written by the defendant to the victim’s family.
Wong acknowledged his negligence and expressed his hope Norriss’ family could forgive him.
Having offered Norriss’ family $11,000 dollars in compensation he said he knew it would not bring their loved one back.
Outside court McLean said she hoped lessons could be learned from her father’s death. She advocated for separated cycleways, and said more needed to be done about mobile phone use while driving.
“There must be a stronger deterrent and a greater understanding of the risks associated with cell phone use while driving vehicles.”
Norriss lived in Christchurch, but commuted to Wellington for his work at the Commerce Commission.
About 600 people attended a memorial ride on February 17 from parliament to the BP petrol station near where Norriss was killed.
The train of cyclists was so long it took nearly 15 minutes to assemble at the station forecourt.
Many riders wore red – Norriss’ favourite colour. They observed a minute’s silence before a wreath was laid to the chiming of bicycle bells.
Cycling advocate speaks up
Cycling advocate Patrick Morgan was at the sentencing and said “our thoughts are with the family of Brent Norriss, the court has found the driver responsible for his death, but we need to shift the focus to keeping cyclists safe”.
Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency had failed to keep cyclists safe, he said. Cyclists could not wait years for the seaside pathway to be built and immediate action was needed to lower speed limits and to give riders more room.
He previously told Stuff about 500 cyclists travelled the same stretch of road that Norriss died on each day.
“Any system that depends on people never making mistakes is a broken system,” he said of the paint stripe that separates cyclists and vehicles on the northbound section of SH2 between Ngauranga and Petone.
Waka Kotahi regional transport systems manager Mark Owen said the road shoulder had been widened where possible, and more signage and road markings had been added to the road.
Work on the Ngauranga to Petone section of the track was expected to start early next year. The new walking and cycling link would improve safety, he said.