Driver faces new charge in death of Salluit boy

Thomassie Yuliusie, 6, died instantly last November when he was struck by a vehicle while sliding with friends in Salluit. (FILE PHOTO)

A man accused of leaving the scene of an accident in Salluit this past November in which a six-year-old boy died faces a new charge: impaired driving.

Twenty-five-year-old Steven Yuliusie was driving in Salluit Nov. 29 last year when his truck is alleged to have struck six-year-old Tomassie Yuliusie, who was sliding down a hilly section of road with a number of other children.

The boy died instantly from his injuries.

The driver fled the scene. Footage from a nearby school camera shows the truck hit a bump and continue moving, says Tomassie’s foster father, Paul Maggiolo.

Yuliusie was arrested later that day and charged with leaving the scene of an accident, driving with a restricted license and intent to mislead a police investigation.

But a day later, Yuliusie was also charged with impaired driving and breaching of conditions not to consume alcohol, not to drive a motor vehicle and to keep the peace.

Yuliusie was allegedly returning from picking up a shipment of alcohol at the airport at the time of the Nov. 29 accident.

The incident has raised questions about the ability of Nunavik police to administer breathalyser tests on suspected drunk drivers.

As it stands, there is only one breathalyser in the region — located in Kuujjuaq — and police say it’s too delicate to move to another community.

But the Kativik Regional Police Force plans to invest in more machines, while officers from both Salluit and Kuujjuaq have recently received training on the device.

Yuliusie has been detained since his arrest and is scheduled to appear court in Salluit Jan. 19 and Jan. 20 on those charges, and a previous charge of refusing to stop for an officer.