ISSUE
Friday, August 22, 2025
Volume 16 . Issue 73
In his findings released in Christchurch last week, coroner David Robinson has ruled that the Fiji-Indian couple of Avneel Ram, 26, and his 31-year-old wife Sheetal Ram, was an accidental death – a driving lesson turned into a tragedy, and has thus made no recommendations over the circumstances of their deaths. The couple is survived by an infant daughter. Mr Ram ran an air-conditioning business, and the couple were married in 2016.
Mr Robinson also commended the bravery of a member of the public who tried to save the couple from drowning by diving into a freezing lake, and disregarded the evidence from two witnesses – who were a bit far away from the scene – but noted hearing the Rams arguing before the accident.
The tragedy happened on September 12 last year when the Rams went to the Westlake Reserve in Halswell for a driving lesson, after Avneel bought a red Toyota Cynos for Sheetal to help her get her driving license. She had already secured her learners license in Christchurch a month before her death, after having tried her hand at driving six years earlier in Fiji. There she was involved in a minor incident, and had not driven since, the coroner heard.
On the circumstances of the night in question, the coroner findings revealed that it happened because Ms Sheetal accidentally hit the accelerator, resulting in the car accelerating down the slope from the car park, with her being unable to apply the brakes in time.
According to the coroner, Ms Ram was at the wheel when the car suddenly accelerated and dived into the lake almost 16 metres from the shore. Mr Ram was outside the driver's window then. He then went into the lake to rescue his wife, resurfacing several times, before he himself drowned.
Police and other emergency services arrived at the scene, and entered the lake to check the vehicle but couldn’t it. A scene guard was placed overnight. The next morning, with assistance from the Police National Dive Team an extensive search of the lake was done leading to the recovery of the vehicle – at a depth of 2.8 metres – and two bodies.
In his findings released in Christchurch last week, coroner David Robinson has ruled that the Fiji-Indian couple of Avneel Ram, 26, and his 31-year-old wife Sheetal Ram, was an accidental death – a driving lesson turned into a tragedy, and has thus made no recommendations over the circumstances of...
In his findings released in Christchurch last week, coroner David Robinson has ruled that the Fiji-Indian couple of Avneel Ram, 26, and his 31-year-old wife Sheetal Ram, was an accidental death – a driving lesson turned into a tragedy, and has thus made no recommendations over the circumstances of their deaths. The couple is survived by an infant daughter. Mr Ram ran an air-conditioning business, and the couple were married in 2016.
Mr Robinson also commended the bravery of a member of the public who tried to save the couple from drowning by diving into a freezing lake, and disregarded the evidence from two witnesses – who were a bit far away from the scene – but noted hearing the Rams arguing before the accident.
The tragedy happened on September 12 last year when the Rams went to the Westlake Reserve in Halswell for a driving lesson, after Avneel bought a red Toyota Cynos for Sheetal to help her get her driving license. She had already secured her learners license in Christchurch a month before her death, after having tried her hand at driving six years earlier in Fiji. There she was involved in a minor incident, and had not driven since, the coroner heard.
On the circumstances of the night in question, the coroner findings revealed that it happened because Ms Sheetal accidentally hit the accelerator, resulting in the car accelerating down the slope from the car park, with her being unable to apply the brakes in time.
According to the coroner, Ms Ram was at the wheel when the car suddenly accelerated and dived into the lake almost 16 metres from the shore. Mr Ram was outside the driver's window then. He then went into the lake to rescue his wife, resurfacing several times, before he himself drowned.
Police and other emergency services arrived at the scene, and entered the lake to check the vehicle but couldn’t it. A scene guard was placed overnight. The next morning, with assistance from the Police National Dive Team an extensive search of the lake was done leading to the recovery of the vehicle – at a depth of 2.8 metres – and two bodies.
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