Stuff co.nz 4 August 2021
Family First Comment: Very sad case
“Cannabis had taken hold in the last 18 months of his son’s life, and “destroyed his personality and nature”. It robbed him of a normal life and I believe was the overbearing factor in his death, more so than speed and even with the combination of heavy fog, which in my experience Ethan would have assessed safely if he had a clear mind. Crone said his son had not just smoked a “joint” but had “hot boxed” in his car undisturbed for more than two hours. Ron Crone previously told Stuff his son had crashed three times before at the exact spot where he died, all while under the influence of cannabis.”
#saynopetodope
A young man, who reportedly “hot boxed” in his car before fatally crashing it, was “robbed of a normal life” by a growing cannabis dependency, his father told a coroner.
Ethan Phillip Crone, 24, was killed in May 2017 when he missed the intersection of Easterbrook and Hicklands roads, south of Rangiora, smashed though an arrow sign and over a stopbank, then crashed into a tree.
In a report released on Wednesday, Coroner Marcus Elliott found Crone died from injuries to his head, chest and limbs.
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, was detected in his bloodstream.
The coroner found there were several factors at play but Crone’s death illustrated the dangers of driving after using cannabis.
“The New Zealand Drug Foundation states: Do not drive after using cannabis because this greatly increases the chance of an accident.
“If Mr Crone had not used cannabis, he may have perceived the corner and sign and avoided the crash.”
READ MORE: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/125967813/cannabis-a-factor-in-young-mans-fatal-car-crash–coroner
