- Uiatu ‘Joan’ Taufua faces serious charges in Queensland
- Three dead in collision between two vehicles in December 2022
- The case has been plagued by delays
The mother of a star Brisbane Broncos player facing manslaughter charges over a horror crash that killed three people has been ordered to appear in court for her next hearing as the case faces further delays.
Uiatu ‘Joan’ Taufua, the mother of Broncos forward Payne Haas, was the sole survivor of a two-car collision at Bonogin in the Gold Coast hinterland on December 30, 2022.
The second car, a silver Mercedes, was carrying Susan Zimmer, 70, her partner Chris Fawcett, 79, and Zimmer’s daughter, Steffanie, 35.
All three died in the terrible accident.
Following the crash, Ms Taufau, 48, was charged with three counts of manslaughter, as well as one count of dangerous driving of a motor vehicle, evading police and driving without a licence.
She was later charged with driving under the influence of alcohol in March 2023.
Ms Taufau’s matter was briefly mentioned in Southport Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
Criminal lawyer Michael Gatenby, acting on behalf of Ms Taufau’s Sydney-based lawyers King Law, told the court there had been an agreement between the parties and preliminary orders had been made for questioning by a forensic officer.
Payne Haas’ mother, Uiatu ‘Joan’ Taufua (pictured during an earlier court appearance), has been ordered to appear in court on three counts of manslaughter.
Pictured: Emergency services attend the aftermath of the crash in Taufua, which killed Susan Zimmer, 70, her partner Chris Fawcett, 79, and Zimmer’s daughter Steffanie.
The coroner will be questioned on November 27 as part of the arraignment process, which is expected to last about 45 minutes.
Magistrate Kerry McGee ordered Ms Taufau to be brought before the court for her next court appearance.
During a court hearing in May, McGee said the case had dragged on for too long and called the delay caused by waiting for a psychiatric evaluation of Taufua “completely unacceptable.”
“I’m not going to wait, this has been going on for too long and these charges need to move forward, and they’re not moving forward that way,” he said.
Ms Taufua was allegedly driving her black 2017 Mercedes van “dangerously” along Bonogin Rd near Calanthe Lane shortly before 5pm on the same evening as the fatal crash.
Police allegedly chased her before calling off the pursuit after she allegedly fled the area.
Payne Haas (pictured carrying the ball for New South Wales in the second game of this year’s State of Origin series) has pushed ahead with his football despite the serious charges facing his mother.
Moments later, those same police officers were notified of an accident involving two cars approximately one kilometer down the road.
Emergency services were able to free the family of three from their silver Mercedes, but they all died at the scene.
Ms Taufua was rescued from her black Mercedes after it caught fire before being taken to hospital.
It will also be alleged in court that Ms Taufua was driving under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident.
Ms Taufua did not appear in Southport Magistrates Court on Tuesday as she remains on remand at Brisbane Women’s Correctional Centre.
She has not yet filed any formal statement.
There is no suggestion that Mr Haas was involved in the accident.
