The three members of the same family killed in a horror crash by Joan Taufua on Friday in the Gold Coast hinterland are being remembered as “beautiful, community-loving people,” as suspect is being charged with manslaughter, 9news reports.
According to the report by 9news, Christopher Fawcett, Susan Zimmer and their daughter Stephanie died after allegedly being hit by Broncos NRL player Payne Haas’ mother Joan Taufua, who had allegedly failed to stop for police.
Zimmer’s daughter Claudine Snow said she dropped to her knees after the phone rang on Friday night when her husband called to break the news.
The trio were on the way to the shops in Bonogin, near the Gold Coast.
“He said, ‘They’re all gone’, I said what do you mean, ‘They’re all gone?'” she said.
“My mum is my best friend. And I sometimes forget and I go to call her and then realise she’s gone.
“I have an 11-month-old baby boy who won’t ever remember his aunty or his grandma.”
New Year’s celebrations have been replaced with funeral planning, with Snow saying she just wants her family to be remembered as “the beautiful people they were.”
“This didn’t need to happen and this shouldn’t have happened,” Snow said.
Joan Taufua, 46, allegedly doesn’t hold a licence and had allegedly moments earlier sped off from police.
Uiatu ‘Joan’ Taufua has since been charged with manslaughter after a horror car crash on December 30 resulted in the death of three people.
The 46-year-old has now been charged with three counts of manslaughter, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, evading police and driving without a licence, the police confirmed on Monday.
It is alleged that Taufua, who is the sole survivor of the two-car collision, was witnessed driving in an “extremely dangerous manner” prior to colliding with a Mercedes which was occupied by Chris Fawcett, 79, Susan Zimmer, 70, and her daughter Steffanie Zimmer, 35, who all tragically died at the scene.
“Coomera detectives have charged a 46-year-old Bonogin woman with three counts of manslaughter following a fatal traffic crash at Bonogin on Friday,” police said in a statement.
Taufua was allegedly travelling on the wrong side of the road at high-speed when she struck the victim’s vehicle causing it to smash into a power pole at the side of Bonogin Road on the Gold Coast.
“We have spoken to many witnesses, we have seen a lot of CCTV [footage] and we have painted a picture of what happened on that afternoon,” Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Procter said.
Meanwhile, Gold Coast Superintendent Craig Hanlon had expressed his condolences following the crash that shocked witnesses and police alike.
“This was a tragic, tragic incident,” Hanlon told reporters on Friday.
“But to lose three people from the same family, you can’t recover from that.
“The thoughts and prayers of the Queensland Police service are with their friends and family at this time.”
Taufua had earlier been flagged by police, but no pursuit was undertaken before officers were told by a fellow motorist shortly afterwards of a crash involving her black Mercedes wagon nearby.
“Police activated lights and sirens and when she accelerated, police followed policy, and they pulled over into a church or a temple out there,” Procter explained.
Taufua currently remains under police guard in hospital with multiple fractures and internal injuries resulting from the incident.
On Monday afternoon, she was represented by lawyer Leah Johnson during a brief mention of the case which was adjourned until January 11th.