Unlicensed truck driver jailed over fatal Tacirua crash

A 23-year-old man who caused the death of a 13-year-old boy after driving a truck without a valid licence has been jailed for three years and five months by the High Court in Suva.

Jotame Tokaituvana Lagilagi was sentenced before Justice Daniel Goundar last week after pleading guilty to one count of manslaughter and one count of driving a motor vehicle without a valid licence.

The charges stemmed from a fatal accident along Princess Road in Tacirua on November 25, 2024, in which Mosese Vulavula died.

The court heard that Lagilagi, who was working as a delivery assistant for Extra Supermarket at the time, unlawfully took control of a 3.5-tonne truck from the authorised driver despite not holding a valid licence.

Lagilagi was driving towards Nausori when he lost control of the truck along a bend near Savutalele Junction. Witnesses told the court the vehicle was travelling at high speed before swerving into the opposite lane and colliding with the Vulavula family vehicle.

Mosese, who was seated in the back seat behind his father, suffered severe head injuries during the collision. He was rushed to the Colonial War Memorial Hospital but later died from traumatic brain injuries.

Justice Goundar said Lagilagi made a deliberate and reckless decision to drive a heavy vehicle on a busy public road without legal authority or proper experience.

The judge also highlighted the devastating impact the tragedy had on the victim’s family, saying the loss of a child caused “profound and irreversible grief”.

While the court considered Lagilagi’s youth, clean record, remorse and early guilty plea, Justice Goundar said a suspended sentence was not appropriate because of the seriousness of the offence and the need to deter dangerous driving.

Lagilagi has been given 30 days to appeal the sentence.