‘I hold no ill will’: Daughter of Mayo woman killed by truck addresses driver

A delivery driver has been sentenced to five months in prison at Castlebar Circuit Court after pleading guilty to careless driving causing the death of a seventy-six-year-old woman in Westport. Maureen Hopkins died following a collision with a lorry in the car park of SuperValu on June 6, 2024. Mihail Tanasevici, aged forty-two, also pleaded guilty to a road traffic breach concerning windscreen obstruction. The court heard the truck was travelling at minimal speed when Mrs Hopkins entered the driver's blind spot. Obstructed vision resulted from a hanging pelmet curtain and items including decorative lights and a suction cup holder. Judge Eoin Garavan imposed the sentence following mitigation, noting the accused as a decent man and describing the car park environment as chaotic and poorly designed. In a victim impact statement, Mrs Hopkins' daughter expressed she held no ill will towards the driver, acknowledging his family circumstances. Tanasevici, originally from Moldova with no previous convictions, was not disqualified from driving.