Daughter of crash victim lobbies for Queensland laws to jail those who evade police

She lost her mother and sister in a shocking road crash and now Claudine Snow is fighting for “Susan’s Law” to change sentencing laws. WATCH HER HEARTBREAKING PLEA.

A Queensland woman whose family was wiped out in a horror car crash with a driver allegedly fleeing police has made a passionate plea to the state government for jail time for drivers found guilty of fleeing police.

Claudine Snow lost her sister Steffi, 35 and her mother Susan, 70, along with her mother’s former partner Chris Fawcett, 79, when their car was involved in a shocking crash with a vehicle allegedly driven by Uiatu “Joan” Taufua at Bonogin in the Gold Coast hinterland on December 30 last year.

Mrs Snow’s story is part of an exclusive two-part video and story series highlighting the shattered lives left behind by the state’s deadly road toll.

Claudine Snow sits at the roadside crosses for her sister Steffi and mother Susan..

Taufua, the mother of Brisbane Broncos NRL star Payne Haas, and his brother, Gold Coast Titans player Klese Haas, has been in police custody since the crash on charges of manslaughter, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, evade police and drive without a driver’s license.

She has not yet entered a plea to the charges and she remains before the courts.

Taufua was the sole survivor of the crash and there is no suggestion either of the Haas brothers had any involvement in the tragedy.

As the harrowing anniversary of the Bonogin crash looms, Mrs Snow has written to Queensland Police Minister Mark Ryan calling for compulsory jail terms for drivers who flee police.

Under Queensland law, evading police is a criminal offence punishable by either a term of imprisonment or a fine, but Mrs Snow said she wanted to see compulsory jail time for those who are found guilty of fleeing from police cars.

Claudine Snow is lobbying the state government to introduce mandatory jail terms for drivers who evade police.

She said Queensland could draw inspiration from NSW and Skye’s Law – named after toddler Skye Sassine who was killed by a driver fleeing police in 2009.

She said similar moves in Queensland could be dubbed “Susan’s Law” in honour of her mum and force any driver who flees police to spend time behind bars.

“I have often wondered what would my mum do if I had died in that crash and she survived?” she wrote.

“She would be advocating for change.

“Unless something changes, nothing changes.”

Steffanie Zimmer, 35 and Susan Zimmer, 70, died in the crash..

Mrs Snow said she knew not every driver would obey a change in the law, but “even one life saved is better than none”.

“This creates a scenario where a potential offender may view stopping for police as the lesser of two evils,” she wrote in her letter to the minister.

“This is why I write to you seeking an audience to follow the inspiration of NSW, where Skye’s Law … makes it crystal clear that as much as an offender may not want to stop for police, consequences for the alternative are far more serious.”

Claudine Snow and her mum Susan. Picture: supplied

In a heartbreaking video for couriermail.com.au, Mrs Snow talks through tears as she describes the anguish of losing her loved ones in a senseless tragedy.

“Now I have to pretend to be happy and it takes all of my strength to be the mum that I believe they (her three children) deserve and it’s really like a horror movie but it’s your family and it’s real,” she said.

“How many roadside crosses do we need before we make a change?

Mrs Snow chose to view the bodies of her mother and sister to say goodbye and said no one who had seen what she witnessed would ever speed behind the wheel.

Police allege that officers observed the driver of a Mercedes wagon behaving erratically in the hinterland suburb of Bonogin before driving off at high speed after the patrol car activated lights in an attempt to intercept the vehicle.

The officers did not give chase but a short time later came across a scene of carnage down the road.

Uiatu “Joan” Taufua, 46, after her arrest. Picture: 9 News.

Taufua, who was pulled from the smouldering wreckage by good Samaritans, has changed lawyers several times and the case has made minimal progress beyond a series of mentions in the Southport Magistrates Court.

She is yet to enter a plea.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Police Minsiter Mark Ryan said they had received correspondence from Mrs Snow and her proposal would be given “careful consideration”.