A GRIEVING mother says her life has been turned upside down after a government vehicle allegedly taken without permission by a 17-year-old mowed down her husband and uncle on Bau Road, Tailevu, early Sunday morning.
“Just because of two cigarette rolls, my husband and uncle died.”
Those were the haunting words of 36-year-old Wainikiti Likuri, whose partner, Osea Baleasavu, was killed in a hit-and-run accident around midnight while trying to flag down a taxi after a night out.
The car that hit him was a government-issued vehicle.
It had allegedly been taken without authorisation by a teenage relative who was on a cigarette run to a nearby shop.
“I was told he was in the mortuary,” Ms Likuri said.
“When I went to identify the body, it was him.
“He wasn’t supposed to die like this.”
Oscar, as he was fondly known, had been married to Ms Likuri for just over two years.
He stepped in as a father figure to her four children and was deeply loved by her family.
“We don’t have much, no savings, now I have to think about mortuary and funeral costs,” she said.
“My world has shattered.”
She also made a heartfelt plea to drivers.
“People who drive need to understand that when you cause an accident, the victim’s whole family suffers,” she said.
“That boy is still alive, but we lost two precious lives.
“We will never be the same.”
