Zara Mei Orlic died on Jan 23 when a car hit her in Institution Hill in River Valley. - SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS, COURTESY OF DR NICK ORLIC
SINGAPORE: The maid who was with a four-year-old girl who died in a car accident in January had jaywalked with her, despite being told not to.
A coroner’s inquiry into the death of Zara Mei Orlic on Wednesday (June 26) revealed that Zara had dashed across Institution Hill in River Valley on Jan 23 when the accident happened.
The little girl had suddenly appeared between two stationary vehicles along the two-lane road when a car driving from the opposite direction hit her.
Traffic Police Station Inspector (SI) Muhammad Firdaus Suleiman was called as a witness.
He said the maid, who was holding the hand of Zara’s two-year-old sister, was about three steps behind Zara and yelled for the car to stop when the collision occurred.
The maid told investigators that she was also holding the girls’ school bags, and allowed Zara to walk ahead of her, as she was an “independent child”.
When assisting officer Jeanice Lim asked how long it took for Zara to be visible in the in-car camera footage when she was hit, SI Firdaus replied that it was one second.
Zara’s parents were present in the courtroom at the hearing. Her mother choked up several times as SI Firdaus recounted what happened.
SI Firdaus said that when the car hit Zara, who is about 1m tall, she fell onto the road and the car ran across her body.
She was bleeding from her nose and mouth, was not responsive, and had a faint pulse.
She was taken to Singapore General Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The autopsy revealed that the cause of her death was head injury.
Separately, the maid was treated for trauma.
SI Firdaus said that according to the car driver, a 40-year-old woman who was arrested after the incident, she was driving home along Institution Hill after picking up her two children from school.
She 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, said SI Firdaus.
She immediately stopped the car and checked on Zara.
The driver was not named at the hearing, with SI Firdaus referring to her only as an “involved party”.
On whether any action will be taken against the driver or the maid, the court heard that the Attorney-General’s Chambers will decide after the coroner’s findings are released.
SI Firdaus said footage from the in-car camera showed that both the maid and Zara were looking towards the right side of the road even though the car was approaching from their left.
ST understands that the maid, who began working for the Orlic family in October 2023, is still working for them.
SI Firdaus said 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 that would be jaywalking.
He added that despite their warnings, the maid still crossed the road in Institution Hill and this was the usual route she took after picking up the children.
What the maid should have done was to walk about 200m from the pre-school in River Valley Road, pass by Institution Hill and head for the pedestrian crossing, he said.
SI Firdaus noted that when the collision occurred, the car was not travelling at a fast speed and the driver was not distracted.
He added that based on evidence gathered, there was no foul play involved.
The coroner will give his findings on July 5. - The Straits Times/ANN
