A new inquest into the death of a man who was decapitated by a flying truck part 17 years ago has begun in Auckland today.
The fatal accident happened on Auckland's Southern Motorway Photo: 123rf.com
Pukekohe plasterer Eddie Tavinor died instantly when part of an oncoming truck's driveshaft smashed through his ute's windscreen, in November 2000.
The father of three, who was in his early 30s, was driving on Auckland's Southern Motorway near Penrose when the driveshaft of the truck broke off, sending the yoke of its front universal joint across the median barrier.
The solid metal yoke was about 35cm long and weighed about 5kg.
At a coronial inquest two years after his death, three expert witnesses agreed the incident happened because of a failure in the driveshaft that should have been picked by mechanics working on the truck just days before.
But a police investigation resulted in no charges being laid.
The new inquest, which is expected to last a week, comes after two forensic engineers asked Crown Law to hold a new one because they believed the original finding was incorrect.
