Rehling was charged with careless driving causing death and careless driving causing injury after the crash. He appeared in the Christchurch District Court on Wednesday to be sentenced. In his sentencing remarks, Judge Quentin Hix said although it was human nature to want clarity around why things happened, this was a case where the exact cause of the crash was unknown. Rehling did not drink alcohol the night before the crash, and had had a good night’s rest, said the judge. He had spread a trip from Nelson to Christchurch over two days, and there was no indication he was distracted by a cell phone just before the crash.