Tachyon Hutt lived on a boat moored near Picton. He had plans to restore it, before his death in July.
Blood screening also showed “significantly elevated” levels of cannabis in his system, Coroner Heather McKenzie said in her inquest findings released today.
She said Hutt’s family spoke of the significant stressors and trauma in his life and alleged that he was being bullied which caused him to drive as he did.
Coroner McKenzie was unable to make such a finding but acknowledged the family’s correspondence which gave her a deeper insight into Hutt’s background.
Loved the sea
Hutt made headlines in mid-2020 after he was rescued during a nearly successful attempt to cross Cook Strait in a small motorised dinghy.
The boat broke down off the Mana Coast, just short of Hutt’s intended landing point.
He tried to row ashore but after about an hour he became tired and called for a tow.
Hutt told NZME in an interview last year he loved the sea, having grown up around boats in the Marlborough Sounds after his family moved there from Nelson, where he was born.
“I loved sailing, you know. It’s where I feel at peace.
“I guess that if I was able to look that far back in our family’s ancestry, I reckon we must be related to Vikings or something.”
Fatal crash
On the evening of July 19, Hutt was driving on State Highway 6, Okaramio in Marlborough, on his way to Nelson.
That day he had been in regular contact with a friend who told him she was going to Nelson with friends for the night.
Hutt said he wanted to come but she said he could not as he had been drinking and it was not safe.
She urged Hutt to return to his boat.
“I have seen the messages and the friend clearly told Mr Hutt multiple times that it was not safe for him to drive as he had been drinking. Mr Hutt persisted in wanting to see her,” Coroner McKenzie said.
Hutt set off in any event, apparently leaving his boat in a hurry, but it was unknown why, the coroner said.
CCTV footage showed him getting petrol in Picton about 5.20pm.
The dinghy Tachyon Hutt travelled across Cook Strait in. Photo / NZ Police
The attendant described Hutt as “agitated and talkative” and “jumping around”.
As he left, he told the attendant, who he knew, “I’m going to leave my tyres all over the road” and did a small burnout as he left.
Others had reported Hutt’s driving to police that day. They said he was “flying” around town, slamming on brakes and screaming around corners, speeding on the open road, tooting his horn, and passing.
It was “incredibly lucky” he didn’t hit anyone, witnesses told police.
About 15km south of Havelock township Hutt lost control of his vehicle on a right-hand bend that police said would be managed “comfortably” at the open road speed limit of 100km/h.
Hutt crossed the centreline while travelling between 139km/h to 154km/h and smashed into a power pole.
Other motorists found Hutt dead in his vehicle. Coroner McKenzie said based on a pathologist’s report, he died from blunt force trauma to his head and chest.
Crash a combination of factors
She said the crash was likely caused by a combination of him being “significantly under the influence of alcohol and cannabis”, as well as excess speed.
The Police Serious Crash Unit found no mechanical faults with Hutt’s vehicle. The road was dry and clear of anything that might have contributed to the crash.
Hutt was on a restricted driver’s licence but was familiar with the vehicle.
He had sent a text message minutes before the crash.
Police said while cellphone distraction could not be proven, it could “certainly account” for why he crossed the centreline.
Coroner McKenzie could not safely make any finding about whether Hutt was distracted by cellphone use.
In considering whether any recommendations were appropriate, she was mindful of widespread public road safety campaigns related to the dangers of speed and drink driving.
“In this setting, I do not make any further recommendations,” she said.
A toxicology report from the New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science (PHF Science) said cannabis could not easily be classified as a sedative or stimulant since it had different effects in different people which varied over time.
PHF Science said the dangers of driving after using cannabis included the possibility of taking longer to respond to events, a reduced ability to think clearly, and reduced ability to pay attention.
The effects of cannabis may include distorted perception, difficulty in thinking and problem solving and loss of co-ordination.
The combined use of cannabis and alcohol tends to accentuate the effects of alcohol, PHF Science said.
Tracy Neal is a Nelson-based Open Justice reporter at NZME. She was previously RNZ’s regional reporter in Nelson-Marlborough and has covered general news, including court and local government for the Nelson Mail.