Driver could not have noticed girl running across road: Coroner

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.

- Wong Shiying

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 two-year-old sister.

Coroner Tham said the maid, who was carrying the children’s school bags, was holding 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.