A mother killed in a crash alongside her young daughter and niece has left behind three sons, including a baby just eight weeks old.
Frances (Sesi) Latu-Vailea, her daughter Oneahi Vailea and niece Marly Tulua were killed when the car they were in crashed on Masters Rd near Waiuku on Tuesday afternoon. All were found dead at the scene.
Latu-Vailea’s widower, Amanaki Vailea, was “going through it”, his brother told the Herald. Vailea, who moved from Tonga with his family about 2002, was in Pukekohe with his late wife’s parents when the Herald visited him.
A Givealittle page has been created to support the family. It says Vailea is now the sole caregiver to the couple’s three sons, one a baby just eight weeks old.
“We are raising funds to support both grieving families during this unthinkable time,” the page’s creator, Brittany Vaipulu, wrote.
“Your generous donations will help give Amanaki time to grieve without the burden of immediate financial pressures such as the mortgage and household bills.
“[The funds will] provide essential support as he navigates caring for their young boys and processing such an unimaginable loss.
“[It will] support Marly’s family, who are also mourning deeply while caring for their own young baby and facing the pain of losing Marly, Frances and Oneahi.”
“No words can ease the pain, but your kindness and support can help lighten the heavy load these families are carrying right now,” Vaipulu said.
“Any contribution, big or small, will make a difference.”
By 9am today, the page had already raised $17,000.
Flowers were left at the scene on Wednesday morning, and tributes were left on social media from Latu-Vailea’s family, friends and co-workers.
She was described as a doting mum and helpful friend who loved life and those close to her.
“Why have you gone so soon?” one family member wrote.
According to social media posts, Latu-Vailea worked as a registrar in the South Auckland courts and was beloved by her colleagues.
In a statement, Ministry of Justice chief executive Andrew Kibblewhite said the tragedy would have a huge impact on many people.
“We are all devastated at the sudden death of one of our Justice whānau, Frances Latu-Vailea, her daughter Oneahi and niece Marly, and our thoughts and deepest condolences are with her immediate and extended fāmili.
“Frances was a court registry officer for the Family Court, primarily based at Pukekohe District Court, and she worked in many locations including North Shore, Manukau and Papakura.
“We are all thinking of Frances’ family, and our wider Auckland kaimahi, and offering our support during this very difficult time.”
The two children have been described as bubbly and smiley, curious and full of love, whose lives were taken much too soon.
Billy McLean, the first person on the triple-fatal crash scene in Waiuku, was working in his shed when he heard a faint sound from the road outside.
He thought something must have fallen off a truck. When he walked down his long driveway to check out the noise, he worried that his friend, whom he was expecting, might have crashed.
“That’s when I saw the car had fallen into the water and turned upside down,” McLean told the Herald.
He doubted the car was speeding. He’d seen and heard car crashes before, and he said Tuesday’s did not make anywhere near the same amount of noise.
“It was very subtle. My wife and kids were inside [the house]. They heard nothing. I had the shed door open, and I heard no revving engine, no squealing brakes, no nothing.
“I thought something had fallen off a truck, so I ran down to make sure the road was clear.
“I had a visitor who was due at that time, and I actually thought, ‘It might be her, she’s just missed the driveway and dropped into that deep spot there.’
“But if she had just been there a minute sooner …”
McLean then recounted what he saw at the end of his drive.
“You just go straight into ‘f***ing-do-something mode’. It was pretty quick for me to realise I couldn’t do anything.
“There was a car, probably about the same size as mine …” He pointed out his truck.
“There was that much of it sticking out of the mud,” he said, showing about 40cm of the car that he found above water.
“So I went up to about my elbow and found the door handle. And I suppose, well …” He said it appeared the car had hit a culvert on one side of his drive, flown over and then fallen in.
“And it’s not the first vehicle that’s gone in there.
“They’re 90% fatal, but nothing seems to happen. There needs to be a change to the road here.”
McLean said he was anxious about himself, his friends and his neighbours travelling along the road, especially when pulling out on to it from his driveway.
“Now I and all my friends and family are risking our lives on a potential fatal crash just pulling out from that drive.
“I’ve been nervous ever since we lost [a neighbour to a crash when he pulled out on to the same road].”
He said the road was narrow, without a shoulder in many places. It was also bumpy and, where the shoulder existed, it was very rough.
“There’s just no margin for error.”
Inspector Jared Pirret said Latu-Vailea’s family had asked police to convey a message on their behalf, saying they needed privacy.
“They are grieving and are coming to terms with this life-altering event. They are receiving an overwhelming amount of contact from ... extended family and well-wishers.”
Pirret said the crash was “a confronting scene”.
“All emergency services deployed to the scene and worked together to carry out a rescue operation, and we acknowledge their professionalism.”
Anyone with information that could help police can update them online or call 105, using the reference number 250715/829.