The death of an Indian-origin teenager in Auckland who was crushed to death under his car changing oil has highlighted the risks of carrying out vehicle maintenance at home without supervision. 

Kishan Patel was found dead on September 25, 2025, at his home. He had borrowed a jack from his neighbor a few hours earlier as he was preparing his car for a race in Fielding. 

The coroner's findings in Patel's death have now been made public. A coroner works like a judicial officer to investigate cases of deaths where the cause is unknown, or if it was sudden and unexplained. 

Patel placed the jack under the front bumper of the car. The police photos from the scene showed the bumper had buckled under the weight of the car and collapsed on Patel. Coroner Ian Telford ruled Patel died because of blunt force trauma to his head and torso, finding that the teenager's death was accidental. The results of the toxicological report also revealed that Patel had no signs of alcohol or drugs in his system.

Telford said Patel's death shows the risks of undertaking car repair and maintenance at home. "The incident underscores the importance of using appropriate, purpose-designed equipment, following manufacturer instructions, and ensuring vehicles are adequately supported before any person positions themselves underneath," his report reads. 

“This death highlights the well-recognised risks associated with doing work beneath a raised vehicle without appropriate safety precautions,” Telford said. “Incorrect placement or reliance on a jack alone may result in instability and collapse, as occurred in this tragic case." 

The Motor Industry Training Organisation advises that vehicles must be supported by properly rated stands before any work is undertaken beneath them and that people should never work under a vehicle that is supported only by a jack, he noted.

A friend found Patel under the car after he could not contact him and turned up at the house. When he arrived, he found Patel crushed under the car. He jacked the car up, started CPR and called the emergency number. When the ambulance arrived, they continued CPR, but it was of no use and Patel was announced dead at the scene.