A video emerged on social media on February 18 showing a domestic worker falling victim to a hit and run after crossing a street outside John Barrable Hall in Northmead.
Claire Schoeman, employer of the domestic (who wished to remain anonymous), said neither the family nor the helper will proceed with criminal charges against the unidentified driver despite her employee sustaining minor injuries.
“We will not be laying criminal charges against the driver,” said Schoeman.
“Our helper was crossing the road at a pedestrian crossing when the car hit her.
“She sustained an injury to her knee and experienced pain in other parts of her body as she is slightly older, but she is currently booked off and recovering.”
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Schoeman said a lady driver could be seen in the footage with what appeared to be a school child in the passenger seat. Since the incident, the footage has gone viral, leaving community members disturbed and enraged.
“Our reason for not wanting to proceed with prosecution is simple; our helper only sustained minor injuries and we do not want to ruin a family or let a child see their parent behind bars.
“We are not the kind of people to exact vengeance in this way and all we want is for the driver to step forward so she can apologise to our helper.
“Various community members on social media also blamed our helper for what they say is her ‘jumping in front of the car’, and this is not true.
“I would like to remind drivers they should be aware of pedestrians at all times, especially at pedestrian crossings.
“From what I know, according to the law, you stop at a pedestrian crossing for its intended purposes.
“Sometimes it’s a domestic helper, sometimes it’s a schoolchild and we as a society need to learn that despite the rush of the morning, afternoon, or any time for that matter, we need to be courteous and mindful of pedestrians,” said Schoeman.
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