A CAR salesman's negligence caused the death of five-year-old Zhao Lin Qian in a traffic accident last year, said the State Coroner.
Mr Tijan Syafiq Selamat, 27, was driving at 71kmh to 85kmh in a 50kmh zone and never even saw the little girl crossing the road.
The accident was initially reported by STOMPers who were at the scene.
Announcing his findings yesterday, Coroner Kessler Soh said the motorist had not exercised a proper lookout on the night of Dec 1.
'In my opinion, it was negligent to travel at such a high speed along a road near a bus stop serving a densely populated estate,' noted Coroner Soh.
The fatal accident could have been averted if the motorist had been more careful, said the coroner.
It is now up to the Attorney-General's Chambers to decide if Mr Tijan is to be prosecuted.
The impact of the collision with Mr Tijan's Subaru Impreza flung Lin Qian about 44m. She died of severe head injuries at the scene.
Mr Tijan, who declined to testify at the inquiry last month, had told the police he realised his car had hit something only when he heard a loud bang.
Investigators also found no brake marks on the road to indicate that the car had tried to stop prior to the collision.
Instead, the souped-up car came to a halt some 15m to 20m away.
Lin Qian was with her grandfather that night on her way to a piano lesson, and the pair were waiting by a bus stop to cross the two-lane Punggol Field Road, at about 8.20pm.
According to her grandfather, she let go of his hand and made to cross the road. He rushed after her but she was hit by Mr Tijan's car.
Contrary to what Mr Tijan had told police, investigations revealed there were no vehicles obstructing the motorist's view.
Coroner Soh said that even if Mr Tijan had not seen the 1.2m-tall girl, her grandfather, right behind her, would have been visible.
Witnesses told police that the car had also accelerated suddenly just prior to the collision and this would have cut down the time available for the driver to slow down or adopt evasive action, added the coroner.
But there was no witness to the actual collision.
The girl's father, Mr Zhao Peiyong, a Chinese national and a permanent resident here, told The Straits Times that he would leave matters to the police and the Attorney-General's Chambers before deciding on his next move.
The aircraft maintenance technician said he found it hard to believe that no one had seen the accident itself as the road is usually crowded at that time.
The father of a three-year-old boy said that his parents had returned to China but had not recovered from the death of their granddaughter.
Lawyers said that if there was a prosecution and conviction for causing death through a negligent act, it would strengthen civil action taken by a victim's family.
Mr Tijan appeared worried after the hearing and declined to speak to reporters.
The court was told that the Traffic Police would be liaising with the Land Transport Authority on prosecuting the car salesman on the illegal modifications done on his Impreza.
