In the shadow of a Foshan toddler’s death and amid widespread discussion of its causes and implications, Shanghaiist reports a similar incident in Sichuan province. According to one eyewitness, a truck driver accidentally ran into a five-year-old boy, but then backed up to make sure he was killed in an apparent attempt to minimise financial penalties.
Zhang Shifen witnessed the accident. “I saw the truck coming, the children were walking by the side of the road, not in the street.” Zhang Shifen recalls the truck didn’t hit Xiong Maoke directly, but rather cuffed his ear. “He fell, but after being knocked over, immediately stood up again and bent over to pick up his umbrella. “
The next scene left Zhang speechless, “I saw the truck move back a little and then move forward again, Xiong Maoke became wrapped up in the wheel, and then the truck continued forward another 10 meters.” Zhang Shifen said she was standing behind the truck, and clearly saw a child under the wheels had been badly mutilated. She shouted at the driver, “What are you doing? Will you stop!” The driver stopped, got out, swore, and turned away.
He then asked, “How much should I pay?”
The incident appears to echo the words of one of the drivers who hit Yueyue: “If she is dead, I may pay only about 20,000 yuan ($3,125). But if she is injured, it may cost me hundreds of thousands yuan.”
