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SINGAPORE: An Indonesian maid will claim trial to a charge of causing grievous hurt by a rash act, which resulted in a four-year-old girl being fatally hit by a car in River Valley.
The lawyer for Lilyana Eva, 32, informed a district court on Wednesday (Jan 8) that she would not be pleading guilty.
Lilyana was charged on Nov 6, 2024 with committing the rash act shortly before 5pm on Jan 23, 2024.
She is accused of failing to ensure the safety of Zara Mei Orlic by taking her to cross the road along Institution Hill at an unsignalised junction without holding onto her.
This allegedly resulted in the child running across the road and being struck by a car, causing serious injuries.
The car driven by a 40-year-old Australian woman collided with Zara in the second lane and ran over her leg and head.
Zara was taken to the hospital but died later that evening of head injuries, a coroner’s inquiry found in July 2024.
An investigation by the traffic police showed that the driver 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.
The coroner said that the accident was “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.
The case also showed that young children can be obscured by other vehicles or objects nearby due to their smaller physical build, the coroner said.
On Wednesday, Lilyana’s lawyer Ms Lolita Andrew requested a pre-trial conference date and was given one on Jan 31.
Lilyana remains out on bail of S$15,000 (US$11,000).
The offence of causing grievous hurt through a rash act carries a jail term of up to four years, a fine of up to S$10,000, or both.
