A drowning has prompted the Coroner to call for 4WD enthusiasts to join clubs to get training in safe river crossings.
Photo: 123rtf.com
A 24-year-old Christchurch bricklayer, Jeremy Brons, drowned trying to cross a West Coast river after his truck got stuck.
Mr Brons was one of three people stranded in a four-wheel-drive truck when it got lodged on a boulder in the Upper Grey River.
After failed rescue attempts by other members of the group, Mr Brons decided to wade across the fast-flowing river with a rope attached to the truck, and tied around his waist.
He was dragged downstream until the 30-metre rope became taut and snapped off.
His body was found a kilometre downstream the next day.
The Coroner said the death highlighted the benefits of four-wheel drive enthusiasts being members of a club so they received practical training.
