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New Zealand man killed as campervan 'bunny hops' and pins him against house

22.07.2026 22:04 1 min 2 sources
odt.co.nz ENG + 1 more
New Zealand man killed as campervan 'bunny hops' and pins him against house
© Supplied 

In Brief

Kenneth Cotter, 78, died after his campervan lurched forward and crushed him against a wall. The coroner ruled it a tragic and unique accident.

On 2 December 2021 in New Zealand, 78-year-old Kenneth Cotter was standing next to his campervan with the door open. He jiggled the gear stick, thinking the vehicle wasn't in gear, but it was. The campervan 'bunny hopped' forward, struck the house wall and pinned Cotter. He died in hospital on 6 December 2021.

Coroner Rachel Schmidt-McCleave found the cause of death was respiratory failure due to bowel obstruction from the injuries. She recommended checking the gear stick position before starting the engine and parking campers on level, clear ground.

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Aggregated by OpenVan.camp from the public sources listed below, with AI-assisted translation and summary. We always link to the original source. Machine translation may differ from the original -- check the source for important details. Images and content remain the property of their respective owners. Copyright information

Story sources

Death from bunny-hopping campervan a 'tragic and unique accident'

21.07.2026 odt.co.nz ENG Original source

Man crushed between door and house after campervan 'bunny hopped' forward

21.07.2026 NZ Herald ENG Original source
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