[Source: NZ Herald]

A Hamilton family whose two young boys were killed when a trucker who had been at the wheel too long rear-ended their car, accuses agencies of failing to fight for justice or protect road safety.

The Desert Rd crash at Easter 2018 killed Mohy Sharifi and Siamak Mosaferi’s 4-year-old son Arteen and his baby brother Radeen.

The driver, John Barber, his colleague in another truck and their employer, Dynes Transport of Tapanui, were convicted of road transport charges after a police investigation.

“I just feel terribly down. Angry, sad,” Sharifi said in her home near Gordonton.

“What they were able to do was not enough.

“It was not enough to bring up the whole truth of this crash, all the facts about this crash and actually fight for what was the real case.”

But state workplace regulator WorkSafe has twice declined to lay health and safety charges against the company, which it can do when fatalities occur in work-related road smashes.

“I just feel terribly down. Angry, sad,” Sharifi said in her home near Gordonton.

“What they were able to do was not enough.

“It was not enough to bring up the whole truth of this crash, all the facts about this crash and actually fight for what was the real case.”

Both the police and particularly WorkSafe had wanted a simple case which they were assured of winning in court, gave up when it was hard, and the casualty was justice for their boys, and safety for the travelling public, Sharifi said.

“We are the victims here and now.

“But … these drivers are out there, doing the same culture of driving. They’re driving fatigued, they’re driving illegal hours, they’re not taking their rests.

“So every day there could be a tragedy like this happening and WorkSafe is well aware of it.”