A young man was over the legal alcohol limit for driving and had MDMA and cannabis in his system when he crashed his motorbike into the back of a truck and died.

The Christchurch man’s death has prompted a warning from a coroner about the dangers of driving when using recreational drugs in the hope of raising awareness to prevent further harm to the public.

Albert van Reenen De Bruin, 22, also known as Reenen, was killed when he crashed into the back of a large truck that was slowly turning right into a driveway on Selwyn Rd, Rolleston on March 20, 2018.

The three drugs were factors in the crash, Coroner Sue Johnson said in findings released on Wednesday.

De Bruin worked as a car painter and was nearing the end of his apprenticeship at the time of his death.

His mother, Jean Nel, described him as a “very caring person who would always help people out and stick up for others”.

On March 19, 2018 he went out for drinks before going to a Limp Bizkit concert in Christchurch.

One of those attending, Karne Fowler, told police that a group walked back to his house to continue partying after the concert finished about 11pm.

Fowler said De Bruin appeared to be enjoying the night and was in a good, happy mood. Most people had left Fowler’s house by 1.30am, but De Bruin was still there. Fowler and another person tried to convince him to stay, which he agreed to.

However, about an hour later, Fowler heard De Bruin’s motorbike start up. He jumped up and saw the tail-lights of his motorcycle going down the road.

About 3.30am Sadat Peteru was driving a truck loaded with empty chicken crates and had just turned onto Selwyn Rd at the intersection with Robinsons Rd when he indicated right to turn into Feedco Canterbury, slowing down because of the rough, bumpy entrance to the driveway.

“As he was about to enter the Feedco Canterbury gateway, Mr Peteru heard a sound akin to an engine dropping down and tyres on the road,” the coroner said.

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“He saw a light in the right-side exterior mirror and heard a bang. He put his hazard lights on, applied the handbrake and jumped out of the truck.”

The flashing of the hazard lights allowed Peteru to see a motorcycle on the road. He alerted his colleagues at the property and emergency services were called.

Augusto Bernado, a manager and first-aider at Feedco Canterbury, saw the motorcyclist on the road with his helmet still on.

“He checked for a pulse but found none and began chest compressions. An ambulance arrived. However, resuscitation attempts were sadly unsuccessful and the motorcyclist, later identified as Reenen, was pronounced dead at the scene.”

Toxicology found alcohol in De Bruin’s blood at a level of 76 milligrams per 100 millilitres. The legal blood alcohol limit for a driver aged 20 or over is 50mg per 100ml.

Senior Constable John Isitt, of the Canterbury serious crash unit, said tyre marks on the road showed De Bruin rode into the back of the truck and had braked with force leading towards the area of impact.

His speedometer was locked between 63kmh and 64kmh, and Isitt estimated he was travelling between 71kmh and 74kmh when he started braking.

De Bruin had had his learner’s licence suspended 18 days before the crash because he had accrued too many demerit points, the third time of such a suspension.

The motorcycle, a Kawasaki Ninja, did not have a current warrant of fitness and was not suitable for a rider who held a learner licence.

Isitt concluded alcohol, cannabis and MDMA were factors in the crash. Inattention also possibly played a part, but speed and fatigue were not considered factors.

When compared to a sober state, MDMA had a “moderate effect” on a person’s control of their vehicle, and triggered acceptance of higher levels of risk, “acute changes” in cognitive performance and impaired information processing ability, Isitt said.

Cannabis had also been shown to impair performance on driving simulator tasks and on driving courses for up to three hours, Isitt said.

Coroner Johnson said fellow coroners, police and Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency had all “consistently highlighted” the dangers of driving when under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

“Given the prevalence of the use of MDMA, it is appropriate to raise public awareness of the effects of the use of both these drugs and in particular educate drivers about the effects of these drugs.”