Man who died after being hit by car while 'mooning' traffic at night 'paid the ultimate price for his foolishness,' coroner says

Coroner David Crerar called Travis Lane's actions 'foolish in the extreme'

The lighting was 'sparse' on the road where Lane was hit

(OLI SCARFF/AFP/Getty Images)

A drunk man who died when he was hit by a van while he 'mooned' traffic "paid the ultimate price for his foolishness," a coroner has said.

Travis Jason Stephen Lane, 25, died in hospital after he was hit by the van in the town of Milton, New Zealand.

As reported by the NZ Herald, one of Lane's friends, Corey Tuilaepa, said they and a group of friends were drinking at a party before the incident occurred on 22 February last year.

He said: "He was being cheeky and doing brown eyes to traffic."

Another friend, Michael Cotton, told police that people at the party were laughing at Lane's antics.

Later, as Lane crossed the road to pull the prank again, he was hit by a van, and suffered serious brain injuries and a fractured arm.

Police said the lighting on the road was "sparse", and added the driver was driving under the speed limit.

Lane fell into a coma after the accident, and was taken to hospital. He never regained conciousness, and died on 28 March 2014.

The coroner, David Crerar, has now released the details of his findings about the death, and said of Lane: "He has paid the ultimate price for his foolishness."

Doctors did not take blood samples from Lane when he was taken to the hospital, but accounts from people at the party showed that Lane was under the influence of alcohol and cannabis when he died.

Mr Crerar said: "The actions of Travis Lane, affected as he was by alcohol and cannabis, were foolish in the extreme."

Lane was taken to hospital, but fell into a coma and later died (Getty)

(Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

"He is the author of his own misfortune... it is clear that the alcohol and cannabis consumed created a state of euphoria and disinhibition which helped to make him careless of the consequences of his actions."

The coroner also stated that Lane had a complicated medical history that included suicide attempts and drug abuse.

However, Mr Crerar found that there was no evidence to suggest that Lane was trying to kill himself when he went onto the road.