Girl, 7, who died after being hit by school bus might not have been visible to oncoming traffic: Coroner
Speaking to the media after the hearing, Nivya Rameshwar’s mother said: “It’s painful, it’s something that could’ve been prevented.”
The late Nivya Rameshwar pictured with her mother at the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, in June 2024. (Photo: Courtesy of Neela Kanagasundaram)
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SINGAPORE: A seven-year-old girl who died after being hit by a school bus in a Sengkang condominium might not have been visible to oncoming traffic, a coroner’s court said on Wednesday (Oct 7).
This was because of a tall wall and a 1.4m-high bush at a passageway leading to the service road where she was hit.
The court also heard that school buses had been allowed to use the service road to pick up students after parents voted in favour of the arrangement.
Previously, school buses used a pick-up and drop-off point near the main gate of The Topiary in Sengkang. The change was made after parents gave feedback that the drop-off point was too far and they had to wake their children up five to 10 minutes earlier.
WHAT HAPPENED
Nivya Rameshwar, a Singaporean in Primary 2, was waiting for her school bus at the service road at The Topiary in Sengkang on the morning of Aug 15, 2024.
Her maid had crossed the road to place some bags while waiting for Nivya’s bus. She was going to return for her when Nivya was struck by another school bus that was there to pick up another child.
When the maid saw the girl covered in blood, she cradled the girl and cried so loudly that two other residents called for help.
The driver of the minivan, Mr Phua Hak Heong, testified that it was dark shortly after 6am that day.
He also said he was looking at the maid as she crossed the road and did not notice Nivya.
State Coroner Adam Nakhoda on Wednesday found that Nivya died from injuries sustained in a road traffic-related accident. There was no foul play.
He stressed that the coroner’s court does not establish liability and it was not for the court to determine if Mr Phua had maintained a proper lookout, been distracted or driven rashly.
Mr Phua has not been charged thus far over the incident.
He had told the court that he was driving at “10 plus” kmh, but below 20kmh, along the service road that day.
The investigation officer had said that the road was within a private estate, so there was no official speed limit.
However, the court heard that a condominium bylaw set the speed limit within its premises at 15kmh.
Mr Phua was not late for his pick-up at the condominium, and said he was not using his phone.
A check of his device showed no calls or messages around the time of the incident.
No breathalyser test was done on him because there were no signs that he had taken alcohol prior to driving, the investigation officer said.
Mr Nakhoda noted that the wall near the accident location was more than 1.8m tall, while the bush was 1.4m high.
This would mean that it was possible that a person waiting to cross the service road might not be seen by oncoming traffic, he said.
He said that if the wall and bush had been lower in height, the view of pedestrians and of vehicles would be enhanced.
CNA has reached out to The Topiary to check if steps have been taken to address the visibility at the service road, or to restore the original pickup point at the entrance.
Nivya’s parents and relatives packed the courtroom.
The coroner conveyed his condolences to them, describing her death as “an absolutely terrible loss”.
“I don’t think these findings … may bring you the closure you wish, but I hope they have gone some way to bring closure to you,” he said.
“IT’S PAINFUL”: MOTHER
Speaking to the media after the hearing, Nivya’s mother, Ms Neela Kanagasundaram said Wednesday was “just the beginning”.
“The wrongness is never going to end,” she said emotionally.
“It’s just the start. It’s for the police to come up and decide on what needs to be done.”
“It’s painful, it’s something that could’ve been prevented,” said the nurse.
She remembered her daughter as loving, kind and non-judgmental.
“She was one of a kind,” she said. “When she enters the room, the whole room will light up.”
Ms Lolita Andrew of Adel Law, who represents Nivya’s family along with Mr James Gomez Jovian Messiah from Edmond Pereira Law, told CNA that the family intends to mount civil actions against both the driver and the condominium.
She added that there was no reason to believe that the helper would have knowingly placed the children in harm’s way.
She emphasised that the family did not blame the helper, who had always been regarded by the family as a “second mother” to the children.
Source: CNA/ll(bg)
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