54-year-old Singaporean, Sai Mee Chun, who killed a four-year-old girl in a horrific traffic accident more than a year ago has been charged with two negligent driving charges in court yesterday.
The court heard that Sai failed to keep a proper lookout while driving towards Bukit Batok West Ave 2 on the evening of 9 Oct 2017 and caused the accident that claimed the life of four-year-old Eleanor Tan Si Xuan.
Eleanor’s mother, 24-year-old Jacelyn Wong, had revealed in a heartbreaking interview last year that she sensed something was amiss around the time of the accident, even though she was home cooking for her child.
She told the Chinese daily that she was steaming an egg for her daughter as Eleanor had requested when she had a strange feeling:
“Mothers have ‘sixth sense’. When I was cooking I felt that something was wrong. When I got the call from the hospital, I thought my daughter was hurt. It was only when I went to the hospital with my husband that I found out she was gone. I thought it was a dream.”
Eleanor had been crossing the road with a domestic helper along Bukit Batok Central towards Bukit Batok West Avenue 2, on their way to Bukit Batok MRT station, when the car crashed into them.
Eyewitnesses said that Eleanor and her helper hit the car’s front windshield upon impact and were catapulted in the air before landing on the car’s rear windshield. The impact was so great that it shattered the glass of the car’s rear windshield – this has raised speculation that the driver was speeding at the time of the accident.
Eleanor lost her life while her 37-year-old domestic helper suffered injuries from the crash. Eleanor’s mother revealed that she only found out about the fatal crash after 8pm since she was about to leave her home to look for her child and helper when she received the devastating news.
The accident occurred at 6.40pm. Wong shared:
“I thought they were stuck in a MRT breakdown and was prepared to go and look for them. Just as I was leaving the house, I received a call from the hospital.”
About a month after the fatal accident, Wong called for people who witnessed the accident or may possess dashboard camera footage of the incident to “come forward to provide information and let justice be done.”
The police arrested a 53-year-old driver for causing death by a rash act on 11 Oct last year. Yesterday, Sai was offered bail of $10,000. He will return to court on 9 Nov.
https://theindependent.sg.sg/mother-of-four-year-old-killed-in-car-crash-i-was-about-to-leave-the-house-to-look-for-her-when-the-hospital-called/