SINGAPORE — The driver of the car that hit four-year-old Zara Mei Orlic and ran over her body could not have detected the girl's presence as she ran across the road, a coroner has found.
In his findings on Zara's death, Coroner Eddy Tham said the girl, who was just 1m tall, was completely obscured by a stationary vehicle in the first lane of Institution Hill in River Valley as the car turned into the other lane.
Zara, who was Australian, died in hospital on Jan 23 from severe head injuries just hours after the accident.
She had run across the road while on the way home from pre-school with the family maid, a 32-year-old Indonesian, and her 2-year-old sister.
Coroner Tham said the maid, who was carrying the children's school bags, was holding on to the younger child's hand while Zara walked a short distance ahead.
As Zara ran across Institution Hill, the girl did not notice the car coming from her left.
"The maid saw oncoming traffic on the second lane but it was too late. By then, the car had collided into Zara and tragically ran over her body," said the coroner.
The driver, who was driving home along Institution Hill after picking up her two children from school, suddenly felt that her car had hit and gone over something. When she checked her rear-view mirror, she realised she had hit a child.
The maid and the driver, a 40-year-old Australian woman, rushed to Zara, who was bleeding heavily from her nose and mouth.
The maid, who has been working for the family since October 2023, called Zara's father, who rushed to the scene. A receptionist working in a school nearby called the ambulance.
Though the coroner made no mention of jaywalking in his findings, Traffic Police Station Inspector (SI) Muhammad Firdaus Suleiman testified in court earlier that it was not the first time the maid had used this route to jaywalk with the children after picking them up from pre-school.
He said Zara's parents had reminded her not to cross the road in Institution Hill as it would be jaywalking, but she did so despite their warnings.
SI Firdaus said the maid should have walked about 200m from the pre-school in River Valley Road, passed by Institution Hill without crossing at that point, and headed for the pedestrian crossing.
The maid, however, had been walking across Institution Hill regularly with the children in the past few months, the court heard.
The maid told police she had been reminded by Zara's parents to hold the girl's hand when crossing the road. She said she usually held Zara's hand on the walk home to Aspen Heights condominium but did not do so that day.
Footage from the in-car camera revealed there was only one second from the time Zara was visible to her getting hit by the car.
Coroner Tham said: "It is therefore not surprising that (the driver) did not react to the situation by braking or taking evasive actions."
After Zara was taken to Singapore General Hospital, doctors told her parents she was severely injured and was unlikely to survive. Their resuscitation efforts remained futile and Zara was pronounced dead at 6.45pm that day.
The car's bonnet was dented as a result of the accident. A mechanical inspection found that the car was working normally at the time.
Coroner Tham said the tragic accident is "a timely reminder to caregivers of young children of the importance of road safety in that they must always hold the hand of a young child when crossing the road".
He said young children may not be aware of road hazards and due to their smaller build, they can be easily obscured by objects in the vicinity.
"The need to be vigilant and to take utmost precaution cannot be overemphasised," said the coroner, who conveyed his sincere condolences to Zara's family over the untimely loss of the child.
The lawyer of the Orlic family, Alfred Lim, said Zara's parents will review the coroner's findings and assess their legal options. He told The Straits Times the maid is still working for the family.
Lawyers from the Damodara Ong law firm who are representing the driver told the media she has not been charged.
ALSO READ: Maid jaywalked with 4-year-old girl who was killed in River Valley accident: Traffic police
This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
