River Valley accident: Domestic worker charged over death of girl, 4

The domestic worker involved in the fatal River Valley accident that led to the death of four-year-old Zara Mei Orlic was charged with causing grievous hurt by performing a rash act.

Lilyana Eva, 32, was charged on Nov. 6, 2024.

According to court documents, Eva was accused of failing to ensure Zara's personal safety by bringing her to cross the road along Institution Hill at an unsignaled junction without holding onto her.

This allegedly resulted in the child dashing across the road and being hit by an oncoming vehicle, causing serious bodily injuries to the child.

If found guilty, Eva could be imprisoned for up to four years, fined up to S$10,000 or both.

Her case has been adjourned to Nov. 13.

The accident

On Jan. 23, 2024, four-year-old Zara Mei Orlic was crossing Institution Hill in River Valley when she was run over by a car.

She was sent to a hospital but passed away.

On Jul. 12, a coroner's court found that Orlic died of head injuries after a car collided with her and ran over her leg and head.

The family's domestic worker, who was bringing Orlic home with Orlic's younger sister, was only three steps away when the accident occurred at Institution Hill.

The domestic worker was carrying both girls' school bags and holding the hand of the younger sister.

She shared in court that she would usually hold Orlic's hand; however, CNA stated that she was unsure why she did not hold the child's hand that day.

She added that Orlic was taught to be safe and usually walked on her own. The domestic worker also said she was not using any device when the accident happened.

The domestic worker said her employers had told her to hold Orlics's hand when crossing the road.

When the two girls and the domestic worker were crossing the road, Orlic ran across the road but did not notice the car coming from her left.

According to the Straits Times (ST), the coroner said the domestic helper saw oncoming traffic, but it was too late as the car had collided with Orlic.

The domestic worker then shouted after the vehicle to stop and rushed to Orlic, who was lying motionless and bleeding on the road.

During the coroner's inquiry on Jun. 26, the driver, a 40-year-old Australian woman,  said she felt her car hit something and go over it.

When she checked the rearview mirror, she realised it was a child.

She immediately stopped the car and rushed to help Orlic. She stayed at the scene until the police and ambulance came.

Previously, the traffic police investigated and found that the driver was not going at a fast speed, and Orlic only appeared for a second on the in-vehicle footage before the collision.

Orlic was only 100cm tall and was too short to be seen by the driver.

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