A 27-year-old Australian man has been charged over the death of a 3-year-old girl who was killed by a car in a driveway.
At around 2.05pm on Tuesday (September 15), emergency services were called to a home in the Sydney suburb of Auburn, police confirmed. They attended the home following reports that a child was hit by a car.
Incident details
Police officers from the Auburn Police Area Command attended the home, located on Normanby Road. They were told that the girl had been hit by a four-wheel drive as it pulled into a driveway.
The young girl was treated at the scene by paramedics from New South Wales Ambulance, before being taken in a critical condition to the nearby Westmead Hospital. Sadly, she later died from her injuries.
Arrest and charge
The driver was taken to Auburn Hospital without injuries for mandatory testing. Following his release from hospital, he was taken into police custody.
While in custody at the nearby Auburn Police Station, the man was charged with negligent driving (occasioning death). He was granted conditional bail to appear before Burwood Local Court on Wednesday (September 16).
Court appearance and reaction
According to Australian news outlets, Sandip Adhikari, the driver, apologised after allegedly fatally striking the girl. The case was adjourned to a later date.
With Adhikari not entering a plea to his charge, he told reporters he was 'really sorry'. His lawyer Danny Eid noted that Adhikari was 'very, very stressed and worried' about the girl's family.
Mr Eid told reporters: "This is a very, very sad case. He's asked me to relay his deep sadness to the whole family who have lost their beautiful young child… (He's) very saddened. Very stressed about what occurred. His whole focus is on the welfare of the family of the deceased."
Adhikari is now on bail under strict conditions which include reporting to police every day and being banned from driving while on bail. He will return to court in October.
