02 October 2008
A car involved in a fatal crash in Te Awamutu on Tuesday night had been ordered off the road in 2005 and never recertified as being road worthy.
The car, a Mazda 3, unwarranted and unregistered at the time of the crash had been tow started some distance from the crash scene shortly before the crash.
The crash, which claimed the life of 23-year-old Matthew Shannon McDonald of Te Awamutu, happened on Station Rd about 7pm.
Mr McDonald was travelling as a front seat passenger in the car at the time of the crash.
The owner and driver of the car, a 19-year-old Kihikihi man, remains in a stable but critical condition in Waikato Hospital's Intensive Care Unit.
Both thrown from the vehicle with the impact of the crash, neither man were wearing seatbelts.
Waikato Road Policing Manager, Inspector Leo Tooman, said the car had been issued a non-operation order on 23 December 2005 in Hamilton due to uncertified suspension modifications.
"A six-month Class A licence exemption was given in November 2007 to allow a rebuild of the vehicle to be carried out and on 7 March 2008 a change of ownership was carried out to the new owner who suffered serious injuries in the crash.
"Our investigations have revealed the car was entirely mechanically unsound and should not have been on the road at the time of the crash or any time prior to this."
Faults found on the vehicle include mis-matched wheels with missing securing nuts, an incorrectly fitted steering wheel, extensive corrosion and a generally poor mechanical condition.
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