Nanjing police searched extensively and almost a month later found their culprit; a lady riding an e-bike who failed to stop at a red light with all but 4 seconds until the green. Her recklessness has cost her a full ¥40,000 in medical expenses.
It all began at 09:20 on 20 September. That’s when a women, surnamed Du, found that she was late for work. So much so in fact, that she decided it would be worth saving 4 seconds by running a red light. It was to be likely the most expensive mistake of her life.
The accident occurred in Nanjing’s northerly Liuhe District, at the intersection of Longchi Lu and Shangcheng Lu. As Du rode through the red light, she collided with another lady, surnamed Zhang, who was making a perfectly legal turn, also on an e-bike.
With the help of passers-by, Zhang was able to stand and return home in considerable pain. Family members immediately sent her to hospital, reports Nanjing Daily.
But it took until her son came home after work at 18:00 for them to report the “hit ’n’ run”.
Referring to traffic surveillance cameras, police found that the perpetrator was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash and had instead covered their head with the hood of their coat. With the e-bike’s license plate number also not clearly visible, police were only able to use clothing as a means to try and identify the rider responsible.
Meanwhile, back in the hospital, Zhang had been diagnosed as having a tibio-fibular fracture; a break to the lower leg after a fall or blow that places more pressure on the bones than they can withstand. Zhang’s fracture would require an operation costing ¥45,000.
Meanwhile, the police took to checking footage from surveillance cameras along the direction in which Du was riding. Using this, combined with footage from a nearby shopping mall, police were able to identify Du as working therein.
Faced with the evidence, Du admitted that she had left the scene of the accident. Commenting that she had seen the injured Zhang back on her feet, Du said, “I saw that she quickly got up and thought there was nothing wrong”.
“In addition, I was late for work, so I left quickly.”
Recognising the seriousness of the act, Du was willing to compensate the losses of the injured party. As a result, on 14 October, the two sides reached an agreement.
Unwilling to wait for the red light for 4 seconds, Du will compensate Zhang to the tune of £40,000.
