Two middle school girls in China who helped an elderly man who fell off his bicycle have become embroiled in a multimillion-won damages lawsuit, sparking public outrage after the case recently came to light.
According to local media outlets Pengmang and Pengpai on the 22nd (local time), an elderly man lost his balance and fell while riding a bicycle on a road in Putian City, Fujian Province in March last year.
Two middle school girls who happened to be passing by on an electric bicycle helped the elderly man to his feet and picked up his fallen bicycle. However, the elderly man later claimed he fell because he was startled by the girls' electric bicycle and filed a lawsuit seeking 220,000 yuan (approximately 45 million won, or $31,500) in damages against the girls and their guardians.
The elderly man's side claims he lost his balance due to the electric bicycle suddenly appearing around a corner while he was trying to avoid a white vehicle coming from the opposite direction. Local traffic police who reviewed closed-circuit television footage from the scene also determined the girls bore partial responsibility.
The mother of one of the girls appealed the injustice, saying, "My daughter, who offered help out of goodwill, has been held responsible." She said the large claim has increased the family's financial burden and her daughter has suffered serious psychological trauma. Among local internet users, criticism mounted with comments such as "Who would help a fallen person from now on?" and "This is punishing goodwill," raising concerns about growing social indifference.
Legal experts offered a different perspective. Chen Xiaodong, a lawyer and former police officer with 26 years of experience, analyzed that the girls' legal responsibility is recognized, stating, "Violations include failing to observe the obligation to travel on the right side under the Road Traffic Safety Law, not reducing speed at an intersection, and not yielding to the elderly man who was going straight." However, he added that the elderly man's improper handling and negligence in the evasion process were also partly responsible for the accident.
The case was scheduled to be heard at Linchang Court in Chengxiang District, Putian City on the 26th, but the elderly man reportedly withdrew the lawsuit after the controversy spread nationwide. This case is being assessed as once again bringing to the surface the structural problem of Good Samaritan acts leading to legal disputes.