Ex-bus driver charged with causing death
Maid killed at pedestrian crossing after she saved baby girl
By Khushwant Singh
MAID Puji Astutik laid down her life to save her employer's baby daughter.
As a bus bore down on her at a pedestrian crossing, she flung the one-year-old in her arms to safety.
A split second afterwards, she was run over. She died three hours later.
Yesterday, former bus driver Chang I Ching, 43, was charged with causing death by dangerous driving over the accident on April 24.
She is said to have failed to give way to the 28-year-old Indonesian while making a left turn from Choa Chu Kang North 6 into Choa Chu Kang Street 52 at 7.31pm.
The pedestrian crossing signal was in Ms Puji's favour, according to court documents.
The case has been adjourned until Jan 31, when arrangements will be discussed for the trial.
If found guilty, Chang could be jailed for up to five years and disqualified from driving for a period to be determined by the court.
Previous newspaper reports indicated that the maid also had her employer's elder daughter, then aged two, with her.
The older girl was unhurt.
Ms Puji was trapped underneath the SMRT bus after the accident. Officers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force had to use a 10-tonne jack to free her.
She was rushed to the National University Hospital with multiple injuries, but died at 11pm.
Her body has been sent back to her family in Java.
Chang was unhurt, as were the 50 passengers on the bus. She was sacked soon after the accident.
SMRT donated $10,000 to Ms Puji's family.
The maid's selfless actions also touched the hearts of members of the public, who donated $11,000 to her mother and siblings through Jack Focus Employment, her employment agency.
Ms Puji's employer, Mr Samuel Lam, donated another $3,000.
He told The New Paper at the time: 'We just want to show her family how much we appreciated her work and offer our condolences. Puji was part of our family and we just want to do our best to help her family back in Indonesia. '
Ms Puji's family members had told The New Paper that she had 'high aspirations' of becoming a teacher, but had to drop out of school when she was 15 as the family could not afford the cost of her education.
Her father died when she was nine.
Maid killed at pedestrian crossing after she saved baby girl
By Khushwant Singh
MAID Puji Astutik laid down her life to save her employer's baby daughter.
As a bus bore down on her at a pedestrian crossing, she flung the one-year-old in her arms to safety.
A split second afterwards, she was run over. She died three hours later.
Yesterday, former bus driver Chang I Ching, 43, was charged with causing death by dangerous driving over the accident on April 24.
She is said to have failed to give way to the 28-year-old Indonesian while making a left turn from Choa Chu Kang North 6 into Choa Chu Kang Street 52 at 7.31pm.
The pedestrian crossing signal was in Ms Puji's favour, according to court documents.
The case has been adjourned until Jan 31, when arrangements will be discussed for the trial.
If found guilty, Chang could be jailed for up to five years and disqualified from driving for a period to be determined by the court.
Previous newspaper reports indicated that the maid also had her employer's elder daughter, then aged two, with her.
The older girl was unhurt.
Ms Puji was trapped underneath the SMRT bus after the accident. Officers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force had to use a 10-tonne jack to free her.
She was rushed to the National University Hospital with multiple injuries, but died at 11pm.
Her body has been sent back to her family in Java.
Chang was unhurt, as were the 50 passengers on the bus. She was sacked soon after the accident.
SMRT donated $10,000 to Ms Puji's family.
The maid's selfless actions also touched the hearts of members of the public, who donated $11,000 to her mother and siblings through Jack Focus Employment, her employment agency.
Ms Puji's employer, Mr Samuel Lam, donated another $3,000.
He told The New Paper at the time: 'We just want to show her family how much we appreciated her work and offer our condolences. Puji was part of our family and we just want to do our best to help her family back in Indonesia. '
Ms Puji's family members had told The New Paper that she had 'high aspirations' of becoming a teacher, but had to drop out of school when she was 15 as the family could not afford the cost of her education.
Her father died when she was nine.
