She's remorseful and feels guilty, says husband of driver involved in fatal Chinatown accident

A woman who was behind the wheel in the Chinatown accident which claimed the life of a six-year-old girl is remorseful over the accident, said her husband.

The tragic accident occurred on Friday (Feb 6) at around 11.50am along South Bridge Road, at a carpark near the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple.

Heartbreaking footage circulating online of the aftermath showed a man holding the bleeding girl in his arms, with a woman lying on the ground next to them.

According to the police, two female pedestrians, aged six and 31, were conscious when they were taken to hospital, where the girl later died.

In an updated statement on Sunday, the police said they have arrested a 38-year-old female car driver for driving without reasonable consideration causing death.

@asiaone A six-year-old died of her injuries after being run over by a car near the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, despite her and her 31-year-old mother being conveyed to the hospital. #sgnews #Singapore #Road #Car #Children ♬ original sound - AsiaOne

Family were tourists from Indonesia

Lianhe Zaobao reported on Saturday that the victims in the accident were a mother and daughter who were tourists from Indonesia. The mother is still hospitalised with serious injuries.

The report added that the man, who is the father of the girl, had been walking ahead and pushing a pram holding a two-year-old child when the accident happened.

After the victims were taken to hospital, reporters from Shin Min Daily News observed the female driver being led away by police at about 3pm.

According to Shin Min, the woman kept pacing back and forth while police carried out investigations at the scene. She held her head with both hands at times, bowing her head on occasion and appeared remorseful.

After the woman left with the police, her husband spoke with reporters, sharing that his wife was in the area to pick up their son.

"When I picked up her call, she just kept crying. She was also worried about the victims' condition," he said, adding that his wife has been driving for more than 10 years.

He pointed out that following the accident, she immediately got down from the car to help and called for an ambulance. Their son was also frightened by the accident and kept crying, he said.

"She's really remorseful and feels guilty," said the man.

Area often crowded with people 

According to Zaobao, the accident took place at the exit of the carpark towards Banda Street. It added that the area is usually filled with people as it is close to places of interest.

Members of the public whom the paper spoke to noted that many pedestrians do not pay attention to traffic when crossing the road.

Said a nearby shopkeeper, Li, 70: "There are many families with children and student groups around the area. Some kids simply dash across the road without looking, it's nerve-wracking to watch."

One diner, surnamed Lu, 62, suggested widening the intersection to give vehicles more room when turning.

"Motorists may also consider parking in the nearby multi-storey car park to avoid the crowds," he said.

Reporters also observed that while there were three 'stop' signs in the vicinity of the carpark, there were no signs instructing vehicles to slow down or displaying speed limits.

In response to Zaobao's queries, a spokesperson from the Indonesian embassy in Singapore stated that an embassy representative had gone to the Singapore General Hospital on the evening of the accident.

"Embassy personnel have met with the girl's father and will continue to provide the family with support and assistance," said the spokesperson.

Some of the family's relatives have flown in from Indonesia and the family is also being accompanied by Singaporean relatives at the hospital, the spokesperson added.

[[nid:729449]]

candicecai@asiaone.com