Driver had ‘three hours’ sleep before fatal crash which claimed four lives

Friday, 21 March 2025

Driver Megat Ashman Aqif Megat Irman Jefni, 21, and passenger Wan Adlina Alisa, 20, Malaysian students studying at the University of Canterbury died at the scene.

Motorcyclist Phillip Woodham (Woody), 71, also died at the scene near Lake Pukaki on March 30.

Gavin Beere, 85, from Christchurch, died the following day in hospital.

A driver who caused a crash which claimed his life and that of three others, told occupants of a vehicle that he only had three hours’ sleep the night before.

That driver was Megat Ashman Aqif Megat Irman Jefni, 21, who died after crossing the centreline and lost control of his rental vehicle on the Tekapo-Twizel Road, near Lake Pukaki on March 30, 2024.

Wan Adlina Alisa, 20, who along with Megat was a Malaysian student studying at the University of Canterbury, and motorcyclist Phillip Woodham, 71, were critically injured and died at the scene.

Gavin James William Beere, 85, of Christchurch, died in hospital the following day.

Three other passengers in Megat’s car, as well as Beere’s daughter, who was driving a Lexus, and his wife, were also injured.

Coroner Alexandra Cunninghame conducted a hearing on the papers into the four deaths.

That decision, released Friday, noted that the forensic pathologist who performed post-mortem examinations of the bodies of Megat and Adlina, found blunt head trauma was the cause of death.

Beere received serious impact injuries to his chest wall and thoracic spine in the crash, which in a fit young person would likely have been survivable. His advanced age and compromised respiration were the “major operating cause” of his death.

Woodham’s death was caused by tension pneumothorax complicating a blunt force chest injury, with a contributing underlying medical condition.

Toxicology results showed there was a trace of alcohol, and no other drugs in Megat’s blood. The report added detail to say this did not necessarily mean he had consumed or was affected by alcohol, and could have been due to 'means other than deliberate ingestion“.

Megat and Adlina, as well as 11 of their friends, were Malaysian students living in Christchurch at the time of the crash.

For the 2024 Easter break, they planned to head to Queenstown with the group hiring three cars, including the Mitsubishi which Megat drove, as he was the only one of the five occupants with a full drivers licence.

Megat was described as a “safe” driver, who had experience driving in New Zealand. He had played badminton and got home around midnight the night before the crash, but was heard talking at around 2am or 3am.

Megat was up at 6.30am the next day to hire the car from near the airport, and said he had gone to bed at around 4am, and only had three hours of sleep.

A friend spoke to Megat during a toilet stop, who said he was tired. His friend told him that someone else should drive, but Megat was “adamant” that he would continue.

The three car convoy stopped at Lake Tekapo at around 11.30am, with his friend giving him a neck massage to help him stay awake on the journey there.

Later several of the group went to sleep, but one of the group woke-up to find the car rolling.

Marianne Beere was driving her parents’ Lexus, with her father beside her and her mother in the rear seat.

In a statement she recalled following a campervan, with a motorcycle directly behind, when she saw a car on the wrong side of the road.

“The car must have attempted to correct itself, however, I believe it hit the gravel on the side of the road that we were on, and it must have overcorrected and started fish tailing, then it has collided side-on with our vehicle.

“I felt like it started to roll over as soon as it hit us… I have no idea why the oncoming vehicle was in my lane travelling towards us in the incorrect lane. It was just there in front of us and happened in seconds and we had no time to react.”

Another motorist saw Woodham lose control of his motorcycle and slide on his back before colliding with the Lexus.

The motorist, who had first aid training, stopped to assist and others also stopped, including an off-duty fire fighter.

Witnesses saw Woodham standing up and walking around immediately after the accident, but he later collapsed and died at the scene despite attempts to resuscitate him.

A report by Senior Constable Paul Beaver, of the Canterbury Serious Crash Unit, concluded that Megat crossed the centre line, then lost control and rolled sideways into the front of the Beere’s Lexus.

His failure to remain in the southbound lane was a causative factor of the crash, police said.

It was likely that Megat was affected by fatigue which caused a momentary loss of concentration after he had negotiated a bend in the road, they said.

It was also possible that while the Mitsubishi crossed the northbound lane, Megat experienced a “microsleep”, which can last between three and 14 seconds.

It is likely that the change in noise and motion from driving onto the gravel verge is what alerted Megat that the car had run off the road, leading to the over correction.

Beere and Woodham were not in any way at fault, Cunninghame noted.

“They had the misfortune to be coming towards the Mitsubishi when Megat crossed the centre line and over corrected.”

The accident was another reminder of the danger of driving while tired.

Megat chose to make a drive of several hours when he had three hours’ sleep the night before, and after remarking to others that he was tired. Alarmingly, he was so tired that his front seat passenger had to massage him to keep him awake, the coroner said.

The evidence suggests that Megat was the only one in the Mitsubishi who was licenced to drive it. While this explains why he was determined to continue, he should not have been driving. The coroner noted the work by police and Waka Kotahi/New Zealand Transport Agency to encourage drivers not to drive while fatigued.

While she made no recommendations, she made the following comments to the public: Drivers should get adequate rest before starting long vehicle journeys, rest if they become fatigued. Passengers should speak up if they become aware of a fatigued driver, and should either offer to take over the driving, or be prepared to break the journey until the driver is properly refreshed.

The coroner acknowledged the family and friends of those impacted and the efforts of those who helped at the scene.

Updated copy amended on 24 March at 11.05am.

Toxicology results showed there was a trace of alcohol, and no other drugs in Megat’s blood. The report added detail to say this did not necessarily mean he had consumed or was affected by alcohol, and could have been due to 'means other than deliberate ingestion“.