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Driver may have fallen asleep at wheel

Jul 22, 2004 6:18 AM

A South Island ambulance driver has been found guilty of careless driving causing death.

Anne Sharp, 67, died early last year when an ambulance driven by St John officer Carol Forrest collided with her car south of Dunedin.

Charged with careless driving causing death, Forrest blamed the crash on a fault in her vehicle's steering.

The judge ruled out a mechanical defect as the cause.

A Dunedin court heard how Forrest had worked more than 80 hours the week before the crash and may have fallen asleep at the wheel.

"I have reached a conclusion despite the defendant's insistence otherwise that she either fell asleep or was momentarily distracted so as to be on the incorrect side of the road," judge McDonald said.

Forrest had worked 44 hours as a casual ambulance officer in the week before the crash and another 40 hours in a part-time nursing job.

The family want to know why she was allowed to drive an ambulance.

Anne Sharp's son Tom wants to know what procedures are in place to screen the drivers to make sure they are suitable.

Ambulance Service manager Garth McMillan says the incident has been a tragedy for everybody concerned.

"I guess what we will be doing now is looking at the judge's decision and making any necessary changes to our procedures," McMillan says.

The St John Ambulance driver regulations relate to LTSA driving regulations for commercial or heavy motor vehicles.

Forrest will be sentenced next month.