Fatal crash spoils sisters’ plan

Alumita Hedman died at the scene

Hopes of a Fijian woman living in New Zealand to spend time with her sister here were dashed yesterday. An emotional Merelesita Silimaibau could not hide her tears as she tried to recall her last moments with her sister, Alumita Tupou Silimaibau Hedman. Mrs Hedman, 25, died in a minibus accident at Lobau, near Navua, on the Queens Highway yesterday morning.

“When I came on Sunday from New Zealand they were all waiting for me and she was happy to see me. We were so close. We had plans to call for a family meeting and discuss some way forward for our family. But that will not be the same now that she’s not here. “On our way to Suva she was also telling me about the new Navua Hospital and she even showed me where the mortuary is at the hospital. Little did she know she would be lying there this morning,” said Ms Silimaibau. Mrs Hedman, an accountant with Austech Laboratories Limited in Suva, and her husband, Epeli Hedman, left for Lautoka on Monday and were due to return yesterday. The couple run a tour business, Eco Tour, that provides tours for tourists who come on the cruise liners. They had gone to check on a cruise liner that was scheduled to arrive on Monday, but was later cancelled. They were in a minibus travelling towards Suva when the van veered off the road and crashed into an electricity post. Police confirmed Mrs Hedman died at the scene while two other passengers including her husband are in serious condition at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva. According to Ms Silimaibau, her brother-in-law broke both his legs and suffered injuries to his head. Mrs Hedman is survived by her husband and three children.