Seasonal worker to spend 8 months in jail for crash that killed colleague
Police say a van carrying five people collided with a ute about 7:25pm on November 23, 2024, causing the van to roll. (Supplied: Liv Rehbein)
In short:
Seasonal worker Reginold Toa, 35, was sentenced to three years jail, suspended after eight months, for dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death.
Toa failed to stop or slow at a stop sign on a regional road in Bundaberg, causing a crash that killed fellow seasonal worker Augustin Kalkandi.
What's Next?
Toa will be deported to the Solomon Islands following his time in custody.
A seasonal worker from Vanuatu who drove through a stop sign and caused a crash that killed a fellow seasonal worker will spend eight months in jail.
Reginold Toa, 35, pleaded guilty today to dangerous driving causing the death of Augustin Kalkandi in Bundaberg on November 23, 2024.
Augustin Kalkandi was killed in a car crash at Bundaberg in November 2024. (Supplied)
Bundaberg District Court was told Toa was asked to drive three workers, who were staying at the same hostel, to get kava on the night of the crash.
Along the way, Toa drove through a stop sign, without slowing or stopping, into the intersection of Elliott Heads and Hummock roads.
The van he was driving collided with another vehicle carrying a woman and her three children.
The roadside memorial for a car crash that killed a worker from the Pacific in Bundaberg. (ABC Wide Bay: Johanna Marie)
The court heard both vehicles rolled multiple times, with the van ending on its roof and the passengers hanging by their seatbelts.
The woman and her children, Toa and two other passengers, were not seriously injured in the crash, but Mr Kalkandi died at the scene.
Toa, who has been on bail since the crash, needed a Vanuatuan interpreter when he pled guilty to the charge.
Six men, one woman and two children were taken to Bundaberg Hospital with minor injuries. (Supplied: Liv Rehbein)
He was supported in court by several friends and his pastor.
Crown prosecutor Catherine Birkett told the court there was no victim impact statement as Mr Kalkandi's family lived in Vanuatu and did not speak English. However, they had been informed of the process.
Defence Barrister Kerala Drew told the court Toa, who has a partner and a five-month-old baby, has been employed since the crash, and would be deported back to the Solomon Islands after his sentence.
Police say the bus and ute collided at the intersection of Hummock Road and Elliott Heads Road at Windermere. (ABC News: Johanna Marie)
Judge Michael Burnett took Toa's "very early" guilty plea into account and noted that he had no criminal or traffic history, was at low risk of reoffending and expressed remorse for the crash.
Judge Burnett also noted character references that spoke highly of Toa and his work ethic.
He was sentenced to three years' imprisonment, suspended after eight months.
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