Maid charged with rash act over death of 4-year-old girl run over by car in River Valley

SINGAPORE: An Indonesian maid was charged with causing grievous hurt by a rash act which resulted in a four-year-old girl being fatally run over by a car in River Valley.

Lilyana Eva, 32, was charged in court on Wednesday (Nov 6). She is accused of committing the offence shortly before 5pm on Jan 23, 2024.

She had failed to ensure Zara Mei Orlic’s safety by bringing her to cross the road along Institution Hill at an unsignalised junction without holding onto her, according to court documents.

This resulted in the child running across the road and getting struck by a car. Zara was taken to Singapore General Hospital but died later that evening. 

The car driven by a 40-year-old Australian woman collided with Zara in the second lane and ran over her leg and head.

She died of head injuries, a coroner’s court found in July.

An investigation by the traffic police showed that the woman was not going at a fast speed and that Zara had appeared in in-vehicle footage for only one second before the collision occurred.

As Zara was only 100cm tall, she was too short to be seen by the driver.

In July, Coroner Eddy Tham said the incident was a road-traffic related accident, a tragic accident which 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 do not have a keen sense of road hazards and are prone to make quick movements.

This case also shows that young children can be obscured by other vehicles or objects nearby due to their smaller physical build.

Lilyana started working for the Orlics in October 2023.

On Wednesday, Lilyana said she wished to appoint a lawyer, with the court suggesting that she may apply to the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme.

The case has been adjourned to Nov 13.

A person convicted of causing grievous hurt to a person through a rash act may face a jail term of up to four years, a fine of up to S$10,000, or both.