A six-year-old girl was killed in a road crash less than a year after moving to the UK, an inquest heard. Daljit Khalsa, from Afghanistan, died of head injuries after being hit by a car in Slough on 26 October last year.
Reading Coroner's Court heard the driver, Tomasz Oklinski, admitted to travelling about 5mph above the 30mph speed limit at the time. The coroner concluded Daljit's death was as a result of a road traffic collision.
The schoolgirl had relocated to the UK with her family from Helmand Province in January 2018 before settling in Slough in September, the inquest was told. Her mother Raki said she had been holding Daljit and her sister's hand when they crossed Cippenham Lane at about 18:15 BST.
In a statement read out in court, Mr Oklinsky said he knew he was driving at 35mph because his vehicle had signalled a warning to not exceed the speed limit.
He said he "suddenly saw some movement coming from my right" and "hit something" before he stopped and saw the girl lying in the road.
Kevin Spiller, a forensic collision investigator, said the accounts of the family members did not "fit with the evidence" and that Daljit's "sight deficiency" could have been a "significant contributory factor" in her death. The expert witness estimated the speed of the car when it was braking was "between 31 and 35mph".
Coroner Alison McCormick said she accepted Mr Spiller's analysis the "most likely explanation for the collision was that the child went into the northbound carriageway alone".
"If all three of them had crossed the road holding hands and been struck by the car, all of them would have been hurt," she added.
The coroner said it was "possible" Daljit crossed the road "in the impetuous way children do".
