Man charged in hit-and-run death of Salluit boy

Six-year-old Thomasie Yuliusie, described by his foster parent as “a very happy boy,” died after a vehicle in Salluit hit him Nov. 29. (PHOTO COURTESY OF PAUL MAGGIOLO)

Quebec police have arrested a 25-year-old man in connection with a hit and run that killed a Salluit boy Nov. 29.

Six-year-old Thomasie Yuliusie was sliding with friends on a hilly section of road after dinner time when a pick-up truck ran him over, killing the boy instantly.

The truck fled the scene.

Salluit police later located the driver, who is now being held in Amos, Quebec on charges of failure to remain at the scene of an accident and driving with a suspended license.

Police said they could not name the accused person until he appears in court, which he is expected to do Dec. 10, said Sûreté du Québec spokesperson Marie-Josée Ouellet.

No charges have been laid against two other passengers who were in the truck at the time of the accident, she added.

But the accident has shaken the people of Salluit, particularly the young boy’s family and residents of the foster home he was living in.

Foster parent Paul Maggiolo fears that alcohol played a role in the accident, although police say it did not appear to be a cause.

He was told that police in Salluit do not have the training or equipment to do breathalyzer tests on drivers.

The truck and its passengers were allegedly returning from the airport, where they picked up a shipment of alcohol that had just arrived, Maggiolo said.

Thomasie was struck shortly afterwards.

The driver may not have had a chance to become intoxicated in that short period of time, but Maggiolo believes he was drinking at the time he hit the boy.

“I can’t believe [the driver] didn’t see them,” Maggiolo said, referring to the group of 20 or so children he says were sliding by the roadway. “I purposely bought [Thomasie] a bright neon checkered coat that reflects [light.]”

“I can’t tell people to stop drinking, but at least wait until you’re in your own house,” he added.

Maggiolo, a secondary school teacher in Salluit, says he was doing parent interviews at the time of the accident.

He was watching Thomasie through the window of his classroom while the boy slid in a “safe place” away from the street, when the six-year-old joined another group of children sliding up the road.

“It’s the same in every village, kids slide where they’re not supposed to,” he said.

A funeral was held for the boy Dec. 2.

“Thomasie was a very happy boy,” Maggiolo said. “He was very well mannered, always smiling, always kind.”