A teenage driver has been charged more than a month after a fatal crash at a Perth shopping centre carpark claimed the life of 19-year-old Indian international student Komalpreet Kaur.
The 19-year-old Forrestfield man was charged on Saturday with careless driving causing death following an investigation into the incident at Bentley Plaza in Perth’s south-east on 16 May 2026.
Kaur was struck by a blue Hyundai i30 in the shopping centre carpark about 11.30pm and became trapped beneath the vehicle. She was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital with critical injuries but later died.
The accused is scheduled to appear before Armadale Magistrates Court on 3 July.
Kaur had moved from India to Australia in July 2025 and was studying community services at Stanley College. Friends described her as a cheerful and ambitious young woman who had hoped to build a future in Australia.
“She was charming, always smiling. She filled our lives with happiness,” friend Sakshi Rupal previously told media outlets.
Witnesses at the scene recalled desperate efforts by bystanders to free Kaur after the collision. Several people rushed to the vehicle and worked together to lift it while others called emergency services.
One witness said a group of about 10 to 12 people managed to raise the car enough for someone to pull Kaur from underneath, while another bystander immediately began performing CPR until paramedics arrived.
Police previously said the driver and Kaur were known to each other, with witnesses reporting the young man was pleading for an ambulance to be called following the incident.
The tragedy sparked an outpouring of support from the local community and international students across Perth. A fundraising campaign launched to assist Kaur’s family raised money to help cover funeral expenses and the costs of repatriating her body to India.
In a message on the fundraising page, organisers described Kaur as “full of life, kindness, and dreams for the future”, adding that her sudden death had left family and friends devastated.
Western Australia Police’s Major Crash Investigation Section continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the fatal collision.
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