A coroner’s court found a four-year-old girl dead after being run over by a car while running across the River Valley on Friday ( Jul 12 ), with the coroner instructing parents to always hold their hands as young children cross the road.
American Zara Mei Orlic, the second of three children, was heading apartment with her two-year-old girl and their 32-year-old home companion on Jan 23 when the tragic incident occurred.
The Indonesian girl, who was unnamed, started working for the Orlics in October 2023 and was tasked with housekeeping, cooking, and getting the kids to and from class.
On January 23, the girl drove Zara and her younger girl from their pre-school along River Valley Road to the Orlics ‘ house in Aspen Heights apartment at around 4.20pm.
The girl carried both girls ‘ class bags as they headed home and held onto Zara’s younger sister’s side.
She claimed Zara had been taught how to be protected and that she had no use for any devices.
The girl claimed she frequently held Zara’s side, but that she had no idea why she did not do it that day. She acknowledged that Zara’s businesses had instructed her to hold her hand, particularly when crossing the road.
The group made the decision to cross the road as they made the uphill descent along Institution Hill.  ,
Zara ran across the street to the other side of the first alley after crossing it. She did not observe a car coming from her left, and the girl did not notice a car coming in her path.
A 40-year-old American woman driving a car collided with Zara in the next lane and ran over her knee and head, killing the girl three steps away from Zara.
The girl yelled violently for the car to stop, let go of the younger baby, and then rushed to Zara, who was lying still and bleeding on the side of the road.
THE DRIVER’S PERSPECTIVE
The girl called Zara’s papa, who was working from home, and rushed downward while the vehicle landed and remained at the picture until the police and ambulance arrived.
The pilot, who was not named, was on her way home after fetching her children from class and doing grocery shopping.
Around 5 o’clock in the afternoon when the girl made a right turn onto Institution Hill’s little upslope from River Valley Road, she observed cars parked on the opposite side of the road.
She ran over something she had immediately sensed when she hit it.
She sensed a quiet cry and realized she had slammed into a young child. She soon stopped her vehicle and rushed to Zara, who was being held by a upset, screaming girl.
Prior to the incident, the driver claimed she had not seen everyone crossing the road and would have taken fast safeguards if she had.
The traffic police conducted an investigation to discover that Zara had just appeared in in-vehicle film for one second prior to the incident and that the lady was not moving at a fast speed.
As Zara was merely 100cm high, she was very little to be seen by the driver.
Teachers rushed out of the local institution to report a loud scream to the Singapore Civil Defence Force after the receptionist heard it.
Zara was taken to Singapore General Hospital, but her vitals were unknown at the time of her appearance and she was unable to breathe. She was treated and given iv adrenaline after suffering a bone injury and an open wound to her head.
Zara’s parents informed him that she had severe head injuries and was unlikely to survive.
He instructed the medical staff to maintain resuscitating Zara until his family arrived. But, when she got there at 6.20pm, the doctor told them that resuscitation efforts had been fruitless, and Zara was pronounced dead at about 6.45pm that morning.
Bill FROM ZARA’S Dad
Zara’s father claimed he had no idea why the girl had chosen to cross the road that morning.  ,
Zara’s parents claimed that since the road from the cross would guide her to their house, the girl had been instructed to move from the pre-school to the signalized motorist crossing after Institution Hill.
Otherwise, the girl had been following her exact path for some months that day.
The household had no significant issues with the maid, according to Zara’s father, aside from a few small miscommunications standard of employing foreign local helpers.
The girl claimed that she had never intended to harm her businesses ‘ children and had always been concerned for them.
She claimed that Zara’s passing greatly saddens her because she had not anticipated a dreadful event.
This incident, according to coroner Eddy Tham, was a horrible tragic accident that “reminds caregivers of younger children of the importance of street security in that they must always maintain a young child’s hand when crossing the road.”
He claimed that young children are prone to make fast activities and do not have a strong sense of road accidents.
This case also demonstrates that fresh children’s smaller actual bodies and other near objects can obscure them from view.
” The need to be diligent and to get utmost caution may be over-emphasised”, he said, conveying his sincere apologies to Zara’s home over her sudden loss.
Despite past reports addressing “jaywalking” by the girl, the pathologist made no mention of jaywalking in his results. The judge had previously heard that the girl was “jaywalking,” meaning she was not crossing the correct intersection but was doing so 200 meters away.
The Orlic mother’s attorney, Mr. Alfred Lim, said the family may be considering their lawful options when he was approached by the media following the hearing but that he could not say precisely what at this time.
The lady driver is represented by attorneys from the law office of Damodora Ong. When CNA approached, the attorneys claimed the vehicle had not been indicted.