A Dunedin fisherman drowned after he slipped into a lake at a point where the soft ground drops away steeply, a coroner has found.
Coroner Alexandra Cunninghame released findings this week into the death of Martin Peter Suttie, 37, who drowned at Lake Wakatipu at the Buckler Burn mouth, near Glenorchy, on July 12, 2020.
The Dunedin-based insurance underwriter and father is believed to have slipped into the lake following heavy rain in the area.
Glenorchy woman Gorettie Breitenberger said the circumstances were very similar to those of her husband, engineer Oswald Breitenberger, 45, who died in 2005.
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Jo McKenzie-McLean/Stuff
Gorettie Breitenberger, of Glenorchy, lost her husband Oswald Breitenberger in 2005 after he was swept away while fishing in the mouth of Rees River, near the Glenorchy township.
He was near the mouth of the Rees River when he fell.
Both areas were prone to flooding and “quicksand” – especially after heavy rain, as were other river mouths around Glenorchy, she said.
“First he was in, and then he was gone. That is how quick it happens,” she said.
In her report into Suttie’s death the coroner observed there were no danger signs in the area advising of the conditions. She requested the Queenstown Lakes District Council to look into it.
She was told there were multiple areas around the Glenorchy Rivers and wider district that had similar issues and signposting all areas was not considered practical, by a council staff member.
There was also a risk that some people may interpret the absence of signs elsewhere as an absence of risk, she said.
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Glenorchy engineer, Oswald Breitenberger, 45, died in 2005 after he was swept out into Lake Wakatipu while fishing on the foreshore.
She instead recommended that the council update safety information regarding Lake Whakatipu and the Glenorchy area, to warn users about the presence of soft sand and gravel, and steep drop-offs into the lake, around river deltas, via social media and official communications.
“Anglers should be advised to use great care in these deltas, particularly after heavy rain,” she said.
Breitenberger said she understood the reasoning for excluding warning signs, but signage at the car parks could help some people.
“There are so many people coming into town who are not aware of those dangers,” she said.
She was always telling her 16-year-old son and his friends to be careful and not to go fishing after heavy rain.
Her husband’s death was the result of a freak accident, she said.
“You just don’t know. No matter how careful you are.”
Suttie’s widow could not be contacted for comment.
Jo McKenzie-McLean/Stuff
The New Zealand Police Dive Squad searching for Martin Suttie in Lake Wakatipu.
In her findings Cunninghame said Suttie had been fly-fishing with his father-in-law Robin Clifford, who owned a holiday home in Glenorchy.
Clifford described Suttie as a careful and experienced fisherman, though not a good swimmer.
It had rained heavily on the morning of July 12 but cleared in the afternoon.
The pair went fishing about 2.30pm and stood about 100m away from each other.
Suttie went out into the centre of the gravel fan where the river enters the lake. He was wearing a fishing vest and waders that came to the top of his thighs.
After about 15 minutes fishing Clifford looked up and could not see Suttie.
He then heard a shout over the noise of the river, which was running loudly.
He went to look for Suttie but could not see him. As he tried to cross the river while looking he sank in soft sand and almost lost his footing
Jo McKenzie-McLean/Stuff
Land Search and Rescue searching the Lake Wakatipu foreshore in Glenorchy for Martin Suttie.
At 3.13pm, concerned that Suttie had fallen into the lake, he rang 111.
An initial search included Queenstown police, a helicopter, the Coastguard with an underwater camera, LandSAR teams looking along the shoreline and a tourism operator’s jet boat.
The police dive squad started searching on July 13 and on July 16 a remote controlled device identified an item of interest.
A small submersible with cameras and a grappling device located Suttie on the floor of the lake.
He was face down, fully clothed and not entangled in any obstruction, at a depth of 36.7m.
Coroner Cunninghame found his death by drowning was accidental.
His family issued a short statement at the time of his death saying they lost a son, a brother, a soulmate, a father and a friend.
“We’ve all felt truly bonded by the shared love we all had for Martin, he touched countless people’s lives.”
Officer in charge of the police national dive squad Senior Sergeant Bruce Adams told the coroner he found the river bank at the Buckler Burn incredibly soft.
“When we barely touched the gravel, it started a mini underwater landslide of gravel. If a person was trying to stand on this, they would have no traction and the ground would slip out away from them,” he said.
Police provided evidence that rainfall statistics indicated the Buckler Burn river was about three times its normal flow on July 12.
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