The daughter of a woman killed tragically by a delivery truck outside a supermarket in Co Mayo has said she ‘holds no ill will’ towards the driver.
Mrs Maureen Hopkins (76) of Rosmoney, Carrowholly, Westport, died after she was hit by a lorry in the car park of SuperValu, Westport on June 6, 2024.
In a ruling at Castlebar Circuit Court today/yesterday (THURSDAY), delivery driver Mihail Tanasevici (42) was sentenced to five months in prison after he pleaded guilty to careless driving causing Mrs Hopkins’ death.
Tanasevici, of Woodford Road, Clondalkin, Dublin 22, also pleaded guilty to the lesser known breach of road traffic regulations concerned with keeping a windscreen free of inessential objects.
The truck was driving at a speed of between one and two kilometres per hour when Mrs Hopkins crossed in to the driver’s blind spot to the front left of the truck, the court heard.
A hanging pelmet curtain and several non-essential items including decorative lights, stickers and a suction cup holder may have partially obscured the driver’s vision, evidence showed.
In a moving victim impact statement, Mrs Hopkin’s daughter Sinéad Hopkins spoke of her family’s all-consuming heartbreak, grief and trauma, before she turned to address Tanasevici.
‘Mum was kind, loving, caring and always ready with wise advice. Even now I feel I am guided by her words when I say that even though I know you are responsible, I hold no ill will towards you. I understand that you have a family and the very last thing Mum would have wanted was for another family to suffer the same trauma and devastation we have,’ said Ms Hopkins.
‘Perhaps in the fullness of time, it may appear that you too were a victim of the circumstances and environment of that day,’ said Ms Hopkins added.
In his ruling, Judge Eoin Garavan set a headline sentence of eight months for Tanasevici before reducing this to five months on mitigation. He described the accused as a decent man and ‘the opposite of a criminal’ who had nonetheless committed an act of careless driving.
Judge Garavan did not disqualify Tanasevici from driving and said lessons had been learnt by him and also by his employers and by SuperValu.
Tanasevici, a married father-of-four originally from Moldova, has no previous convictions and had been driving HGV trucks since 2008. He has lived in Ireland since 2019, the court heard.
A testimonial read aloud from his employers, Tempside Ltd trading as Polonez, described Tanasevici as a valued, loyal and important member of their team.
The court heard that the Mercedes Benz truck driven by Tanasevici was not his usual vehicle, although he had driven it before.
Tanasevici was not responsible for placing items on the dashboard and windscreen including two decorative Mercedes lights, stickers, a first aid kit and a suction cup holder, the court heard.
A pelmet curtain hung down between 15cm to 18cm over the windscreen, partially obscuring the cyclops mirror which was designed to obtain vision to the blind area.
A statement from Tempside Ltd said that since the accident they have reviewed all trucks within their fleet and removed pelmets and other unnecessary items.
Judge Garavan described the SuperValu carpark as chaotic and crowded, with no designated loading bay or walkway for pedestrians. ‘It left a lot to be desired,’ he said.
He noted that the truck had no rearview camera and that Tanasevici had to reverse to get into the car park, describing it as difficult and dangerous manoeuvre.
Garda Thomas Ryan, the first guard present after the collision at 11:47AM, said Mrs Hopkins had parked her car and was walking towards the rear entrance of the SuperValu store when she was struck.
CCTV and dashcam footage was played showing Tanasevici reversing his truck slightly to allow a parked car to exit the car park, before driving forwards slightly to facilitate the exit of another car behind him.
He told gardaí he did not see Mrs Hopkins at any stage as she approached from the front left-hand side.
‘I cannot see anything tight in front of the truck,’ he said.
Tanasevici was breathalysed at the scene and tested negative for alcohol and drugs. He had left a Dublin warehouse at 5am that morning and had complied with his required rest periods.
He took a four-second phone call from his wife around the time of the collision by tapping the earpiece of his hands-free phone, but this was not included as an aggravating factor in the case.
The court heard that since the incident, SuperValu has made adjustments to the car park and marked off a formal loading bay area.
A probation report cited by Desmond Dockery SC, defending, said Tanasevici demonstrated remorse and regret and was at low risk of reoffending. He was extremely cooperative with the investigation, the court heard.
The late Mrs Hopkins’ brother, George Darcy, delivered a victim impact statement describing the huge void left by the loss of a kind, generous, beloved and wonderful sister.
‘Our hearts are broken,’ he said, thanking people who had helped his sister and describing how the grieving process had been made worse by avoidable delays in the case.
Judge Garavan read privately a third victim impact report submitted by Mrs Hopkins’ husband Chris, whom he said must now live alone without his late wife’s ‘effervescent presence.’