A woman named Zhou from Donghai County, Lianyungang City, Jiangsu Province, was injured in a car accident eight years ago, with four broken ribs and her spleen removed. Despite providing a lead in the case, the incident remains unsolved after eight years. This news made it to the top of Baidu’s trending topics on February 19th.
According to reports from Da Feng News on February 18th, on September 26, 2017, around 9 p.m., Zhou was riding her electric scooter north to south on Niushan Street in Donghai County when she was knocked down by a motorbike traveling from east to west near a zebra crossing at an intersection. The driver, suspected to be a minor student, helped her up and fled the scene, leaving behind a blue handlebar. Witnesses at the scene called the police.
Zhou said, “My spleen was ruptured and removed, I had four fractured ribs, and I spent 36 days in the hospital.” She added, “The responsibility for the accident was determined, with the other party running a red light and bearing full responsibility. However, the police did not clearly identify the culprit, only mentioning the driver of the two-wheeled motorbike escaping. This was because the traffic police did not diligently retrieve surveillance footage, leading to the inability to confirm.”
In November 2017, a Judicial Appraisal Opinion showed that Zhou suffered an eight-level disability due to the traffic accident, which led to a ruptured spleen and subsequent splenectomy. In April 2018, a Forensic Medical Degree of Injury Assessment categorized the injuries as level two severe. In January 2019, Donghai County Public Security Bureau issued a notice of filing a case.
Despite the police not finding the hit-and-run culprit, Zhou managed to track down the owner of the vehicle based on the handlebar left at the scene. The owner turned out to be a student from a nearby school who denied being the perpetrator.
Zhou believed that the investigating officers neglected to follow up on the leads she provided, resulting in the case remaining unsolved to this day.
Zhou said, “I was hit right at the intersection, and a store owner saw it happen. However, the investigating officer only visited once when the store owner was not present. Also, there was a black sedan waiting at the red light with a dashcam that could have been checked. The officer said it may not have captured the incident clearly due to rain, but the driver saw the culprit and could help identify them using photos. Additionally, there were surveillance cameras along the route, but when I requested the footage, the officer said it was unclear due to rainfall. I did not want the original video, just a copy to explore other avenues, but the traffic police refused.”
After multiple complaints to the public security inspection department, Zhou’s case was filed in January 2019. Following negotiations with the county traffic police brigade, they orally agreed to compensate Zhou with 300,000 RMB. In June 2020, Zhou received the initial batch of 98,000 RMB in financial aid. However, due to her continued grievances, she never received the remaining funds. Frustrated by the lack of progress, Zhou turned to the inspection team for help.
Zhou disclosed, “On July 4, 2023, the county traffic police brigade informed me that the second installment had arrived, but due to my complaints, they refused to give it to me, using that as an excuse. This continued until now without any payment. On December 13, 2023, I was summoned to the county traffic police brigade for questioning, where the brigade leader said they had given me 98,000 RMB, made me sign a commitment letter, and mentioned that they would provide a maximum of 30,000 to 50,000 RMB more. They threatened that if I disagreed, I would have to return the 98,000 RMB I had received. They told me to sue wherever I wanted, and at that time, I recorded everything.”
The Donghai County Traffic Police Brigade stated that the current evidence could not identify the suspect student as the hit-and-run driver of the electric scooter.
Referring to the “Regulations on the Accountability of Faults in Law Enforcement by Public Security Organs and the Police” issued in March 2016, Zhou believed the police were at fault and caused her direct or indirect losses. She demanded compensation and the fulfillment of the promised financial aid.
Zhao Liangshan, a senior partner at Shaanxi Hengda Law Firm and a well-known public interest lawyer, analyzed the situation in Da Feng News, stating that the traffic police have an obligation to actively collect evidence to ensure the accuracy and fairness of accident determinations. Therefore, Zhou has the right to demand that the police continue investigating the case.
Zhao Liangshan noted, “If the police show clear negligence in the handling of the case, such as failing to timely obtain surveillance footage or locate witnesses or physical evidence, resulting in the case remaining unsolved or dragged out, the police’s dereliction of duty and inaction serve as one of the reasons Zhou cannot claim compensation. In this context, the police may be liable to a certain extent for compensation within the scope of their negligence.”
Netizen ‘Zengshi Zhengbanqiao 7’ expressed astonishment, saying, “This kind of TV drama plot actually comes from real life.”