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."
On October 7, a coroner's court in Singapore ruled that a seven-year-old girl, Nivya Rameshwar, might not have been visible to oncoming traffic when she was struck and killed by a school bus. The court cited a tall wall and a 1.4-meter-high bush at a passageway leading to the service road where the fatal accident occurred. School buses were allowed to use this service road after parents voted in favor of the change, as the previous pick-up and drop-off point was too far and required parents to wake their children up earlier.
Nivya was waiting for the bus near The Topiary condominium when she was hit by another school bus that had arrived to pick up another child. The driver of the minivan, Mr. Phua Hak Heong, testified that it was dark shortly after 6 am and he did not notice Nivya when she was crossing the road. There was no foul play, and the coroner emphasized that the court does not determine liability.
The wall and bush near the accident location were over 1.8 meters and 1.4 meters tall, respectively, making it possible for pedestrians to be missed by oncoming traffic. Nivya's mother, Ms. Neela Kanagasundaram, expressed her pain and emphasized that the incident could have been prevented. The family plans to take civil action against the driver and the condominium.
Written by urgent.news from Channel News Asia's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
