A shoe shopping trip to Nausori Town last Thursday turned tragic for a family of Draubuta Village in Tailevu.

Fifty-fve-year-old grandfather Neumi Delana was on his way to Nausori Town last week with his granddaughter, Genesis Kunawave, two, and her father when they were involved in a road accident.

The accident happened when the family car they were travelling in and driven by Mr Delana collided with a bus offloading passengers near the Nausori International Airport.

Mr Delana said Genesis injured her head during the incident and was rushed to the Wainibokasi Hospital.

She was later transferred to the Colonial War Memorial Hospital (CWMH) in Suva where she went through surgery on the same night.

Mr Delana said her granddaughter who was named after the first book of the Old Testament, was in a coma since the surgery and died on Tuesday.

Mr Delana and his wife Susana, 57, are trying to come to terms with the loss of their “little angel”.

“She was a smart girl. She was my pet and I loved her dearly. She was a strong girl who reminded us every morning and evening of our prayer times,” Mr Delana said.

“We go to the Latter-day Saints Church and her favourite song was ‘I am a child of God’ and ‘I love to see the temple.’ She never missed singing these songs during our devotions.”

Mrs Delana said because Genesis was a smart girl, the family had high hopes for her.

“We had dreams of her getting educated well and to be successful. However, this has come to naught,” she said while holding a photo of Genesis.

A post-mortem examination was held yesterday to determine the cause of death. Genesis will be laid to rest at Tamavua Village tomorrow.

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