Raeann Cynthia Cook, 31, died on November 8, 2021, when the car she had been driving crashed into another vehicle in the main street of Riverton.
Her front-seat passenger reported Ms Cook had a seizure just before the crash. Ms Cook had a history of epileptic seizures but had not had any medication since November 2017 and had continued to drive despite an apparent seizure just one or two months earlier.
Associate coroner Stephen Burdes conducted a hearing from papers.
Ms Cook was driving with her 13-year-old nephew in the front passenger seat and her two children, aged 2 and 4, in child seats in the back.
As Ms Cook entered Riverton about 8.30am, she had what her nephew described as a seizure. He described her shaking and then "stiffening up" and "frothing at the mouth a little bit".
The car suddenly and dramatically increased its speed, crossing the centre line. He took hold of the steering wheel to regain control.
Ms Cook’s nephew later described trying to control the car as it sped up. He had never driven before.
He said the car was travelling about 80kmh-90kmh as it came up behind a school bus. He tried to overtake the bus but clipped its corner and then came face-to-face with an oncoming Toyota Landcruiser.
Ms Cook’s nephew attempted to fit between the Landcruiser and the bus but the vehicles collided.
The vehicle rolled and ended up on its roof. Members of the public came to assist the nephew and the two young children out of the car.
Emergency services attended and confirmed that Ms Cook had died, but Ms Cook’s nephew, her two children and the driver of the Landcruiser survived. All were taken to hospital with serious injuries.
Constable Heather Jones said after investigating the incident the evidence was consistent with Ms Cook having a seizure while driving her car.
Ms Cook had a personal and family history of epileptic seizures. She was prescribed epilepsy medicine in July 2016 and had her last recorded prescription in November, 2017.
After Ms Cook’s seizure in July 2016, her GP advised her not to drive. Her medical records noted that she "became upset" at this and told the doctor "OK, I don’t want anyone to tell me not to drive. I know this".
In October 2017, Ms Cook visited her GP for a "Transport NZ letter documenting fit free for a year". Her last prescription for epilepsy medication was collected a week later when her medical records also noted she was advised to "wait for NZTA notification before driving".
Ms Cook’s partner confirmed her nephew’s evidence that Ms Cook had a seizure one or two months before the crash. He said she had her first seizure about five years earlier and that she "maybe had a seizure every six months".
The NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi advises driving should cease if an individual is having seizures or had a seizure in the last 12 months.
Ms Cook’s medical records indicated she did not take any epilepsy or other anti-seizure medication after 2017.
The coroner accepted Ms Cook continued to have seizures after the last reference to epilepsy in her medical records. Her last known seizure before the crash was in September or October in 2021.
As she did not tell her doctor about the seizures, the doctor was limited in what he could do.
The coroner found it more probable than not that Ms Cook did not report the continued seizures at least in part so she could continue to drive.
The coroner said the NZTA was sufficiently clear around driving and seizures.
However, he made some general comments.
"I urge anyone who drives and who has a seizure to follow the guidance from NZTA: stop driving and consult your healthcare provider. This guidance applies to those with a history of epilepsy or seizures, and to those who experience a seizure for the first time. Although the stand down from driving is likely to last 12 months, this inconvenience is vastly outweighed by the risks associated with continuing to drive," he said.
"If those who experience, or may experience, seizures chose to stop driving and to consult a health practitioner, the chances of further deaths in similar circumstances to Ms Cook’s death will be reduced."
