Fatal crash caused by distressed, speeding mum high on meth, coroner rules
A coroner has ruled that a fatal car crash in New Zealand was caused by a distressed, speeding driver who was under the influence of methamphetamine. The incident resulted in the deaths of the driver, Peta Kerr, and another motorist, while Kerr's infant child survived.
Why it matters
The case highlights the severe public safety risks associated with drug-impaired driving and domestic instability.
An unlicensed driver high on methamphetamine and speeding with her baby in the car crashed into another motorist, killing herself and the other driver, a coroner has found. Peta Kerr, a 33-year-old mother of four, was travelling on State Highway 1, south of Amberley, about 5pm on January 28 in 2024 with her 7-month-old in the car. Her son survived with minor injuries, while the passenger in the other vehicle was seriously hurt. In findings released on Monday, Coroner Mary-Ann Borrowdale said Kerr left Christchurch distressed after telling the baby's father Leonard Bourton she needed to leave town because she was afraid of associates who were threatening to harm her and take her baby. Text messages showed the pair had argued acrimoniously the day before her death, throughout the night and into the early morning.
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