An Auckland couple had been together for a matter of weeks when their car left the road and they plunged to their deaths into Lake Rotomā, near Rotorua. 

A coroner has found the driver suffered a medical event, causing the “tragic and unforeseen accident” on July 11, 2020. 

Bibi Ali, 53, of Henderson, and David Alexander Fawcett Jarden, 54, of Totara Heights, died when Jarden failed to navigate a bend when driving along State Highway 30. 

Jarden’s car travelled through a rest area at Otangiwai Point and off an embankment. 

It was 18-20m from the embankment edge to where it hit the lake floor. 

Their bodies were recovered from the car the next day. 

Jarden was found belted into the driver’s seat. 

Coroner Donna Llewell found Jarden’s cause of death was “unascertained, probable natural causes”. It was “likely” he had cardiac dysrhythmia. 

She found Jarden had not drowned, “meaning he was likely incapacitated prior to entering the lake”. 

As for Ali, Coroner Llewell found she drowned. Ali had been a front-seat passenger but was found in the back seat, suggesting she “unsuccessfully attempted to exit the vehicle after it entered the water”. 

In her findings of August 21, Coroner Llewell said Jarden, an earthworking contractor, and Ali, a shift supervisor, had started a relationship in the weeks before the crash. 

The couple had planned a trip to Rotorua and intended to visit Jarden’s two daughters in Tauranga. 

Jarden, a former sidecar racing champion, was known to be a cautious driver. 

About 12.36pm on the day of the crash, a family travelling on SH30 towards Rotorua saw Jarden’s car “travelling too fast to navigate the bend”. The family saw the car drive over an embankment into the lake. 

They contacted emergency services and attempted to access the vehicle but could not reach it. 

Emergency services arrived a short time later but were unable to reach the car because of the water’s depth. 

The next day, the Police National Dive Squad located the couple inside the car. The vehicle was recovered from the lakebed, upside-down and about 4m deep. 

“This, along with the fact that the water was very cold, would have made it very difficult for the occupants to exit the vehicle,” Coroner Llewell said. 

The police crash analysis report found the road was dry and the weather “fine and clear”. 

The signs and road markings were in good condition and the bends near the scene had a speed advisory of 35km/h. 

There were “no visual obstructions approaching the bend, but the bend is blind due to the high embankment”. 

There were no signs of braking. 

Emergency services at the scene of the Lake Rotomā fatal crash on July 11, 2020. Photo / Andrew Warner 

Jarden was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and phone records showed neither victim was using their phones at the time of the crash. 

Fatigue was “unlikely” to have been a factor. No mechanical issues were detected with the car. 

Senior Constable Michael Chelley concluded the most likely cause of the crash was Jarden suffering a medical event, because the car appeared to have accelerated, he had not drowned, and there were no signs of him attempting to exit the vehicle. 

While the pathologist could not be conclusive as to Jarden’s cause of death, an autopsy found evidence of medical conditions that could cause a serious or fatal medical event. 

Jarden’s sister told the police Jarden had mentioned potentially having high blood pressure but was unaware of any other health issues. She also advised their parents had suffered from health conditions, including strokes and cardiac issues. 

Coroner Llewell found it was “more probable than not” Jarden had suffered a medical event while driving. 

“The crash was a tragic and unforeseen accident.” 

She noted another fatality occurred at the same location in April 2021. 

Juliet Kaipara, 50, of Kawerau, died after her car went into Lake Rotomā. 

In a 2021 memorandum, Bay of Plenty district road policing manager Inspector Brent Crowe said this was “the second event of its type in quick succession at this exact location”. 

“NZTA have since erected wooden barriers at the vehicle’s ‘launch’ points, alongside existing metal Armco barriers. 

“This construction provides a visual deterrence only and will not stop a vehicle driven either deliberately or unintentionally in this direction.” 

Coroner Llewell said she could not make recommendations in the couple’s case, given the cause of death, but she would consider them in the other case. 

“I will be in a position to consider formal recommendations to improve the barriers into Lake Rotomā at Otangiwai Point aimed at mitigating the chance of other vehicles driving (whether accidentally or intentionally) into the lake at that locality.” 

A Coroners’ Court spokesperson said findings in the Kaipara case were expected to be completed shortly. 

Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.