Fujian elderly cyclist withdraws 220,000 RMB lawsuit against two middle school students who helped after her fall. Case resolved before Feb 26 court hearing. Police had assigned secondary liability in non-contact accident. Family seeks no further public attention.
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Source: OT-Team(G), 齐鲁晚报
A widely discussed traffic dispute in Fujian has been resolved after the plaintiff withdrew a compensation claim against a middle school student who stopped to help an elderly cyclist following a fall, according to recent media reports.
On February 21, Fengmang News reported that the mother of one of the students, identified as Ms. Zheng, confirmed the matter had been properly settled. The elderly woman who filed the lawsuit has withdrawn her case, and related posts previously shared on Douyin and WeChat Moments have been deleted. The family said they no longer wish the incident to attract further public attention.
Incident Overview
The controversy began when an elderly woman fell while turning on her bicycle at a road junction. Two passing middle school girls riding an electric scooter noticed the incident and stopped to help her up.
Later, however, the woman claimed she fell after being startled by the approaching scooter and sought compensation of 220,000 yuan (approximately US$30,000) from the student rider and her guardian.
According to Ms. Zheng, the elderly cyclist had tilted to the right and lost balance while attempting to avoid a white car, which she said was the primary cause of the fall.
Local traffic police classified the incident as a "non-contact traffic accident" and assigned the two students secondary liability. The ruling quickly triggered heated online debate, with many commentators questioning whether acts of goodwill could expose helpers to legal risk.
Legal Interpretation
Lawyer Zhao Liangshan explained that the determination of secondary liability was not related to the students' decision to assist the injured woman.
Instead, authorities concluded that the students failed to slow down and maintain a sufficient safety distance while passing through the intersection. Under Chinese traffic law, physical contact is not required for an accident to establish liability if one party's conduct contributes causally to another's injury.
Authorities therefore determined that the riding behavior could have contributed to the elderly woman's fright and subsequent fall, forming a legal causal link under fault-based liability principles.
Zhao noted, however, that the case remained controversial. Surveillance footage reportedly showed the cyclist falling before the students arrived, raising questions about how directly their actions were connected to the incident. He emphasized that the liability ruling was legally separate from the students' later act of helping the woman.
Case Closure
The dispute had been scheduled for a hearing on February 26 at the Lingchuan Court, but the proceedings were canceled after the plaintiff withdrew the lawsuit.
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