It may sound startling, but in China a driver that hits and injures a pedestrian is forced to pay for medical care for the rest of the victim’s life.
That can run into the millions and they’d much rather pay the equivalent of $30,000 – $50,000 which is what they are required to compensate the families if said victim dies.
There are reports that sound more like urban myths, but apparently such stories are documented. For instance, Slate reports the April 2015 case of a three-year old boy who was hit by a BMW X6 driver reversing through a market.
The BMW driver reportedly stopped after hitting the child, shifted into reverse and ran over her backward, then forward again to make sure she was dead.
This is one of many horrifying stories of the sort. Another story, this time from 2010, reportedly ended with a woman saying to another slain child’s mother to tell investigators she wasn’t driving and that it was her husband.
The phenomenon has gained notoriety since the mid 2000s, especially after cases of people disabled receiving up to $400,000 in medical care reached western media outlets.
Now don’t expect every driver in China to be like this, because they are not. But do be aware that this is a thing when traveling in the People’s Republic and pay extra special attention to road crossings, just to be on the safe side.
Scroll down for the video report of the three-year old boy’s 2010 case.
*Warning: the following video contains distressing images