介绍:
High-Rise Injury Case Shines Spotlight on Social Morality in China
From CRIENGLISH.com
【参考相关新闻】
武汉高空抛物致残女婴案宣判 80名业主共承担39.5万按套数分摊
On a November afternoon last year, a discarded[丢弃的；废弃的] cement block[水泥砖] fell from an eleven-story[11层] apartment building in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. It hit a 44-day-old baby on the ground and left her with severe injuries[严重受伤].
The perpetrator[犯罪者；作恶者；行凶者] could not be identified, so the girl's parents sued[起诉] owners of all 128 units in the building. A local court[地方法院] ruled in early November that the apartment owners should collectively[共同地，全体地] compensate[补偿，赔偿] the girl's family with nearly 400-thousand yuan, or 62-thousand USD dollars.
Local Judge[当地法官] Sun Jiao explains the court's decision.
"The decision was based on our national laws[国家法律]. It is a way of allocating aid and compensation to the family of the injured. It does not mean that all defendants[被告] caused the injury, but under the special circumstances[特殊情况] of the case, it is a way of securing[保卫；弄牢固;保证] compensation, within ourlegal framework[法律体制]."
According to Chinese law, when a fallen or discarded object from a building causes injuries or damages, the building's occupants[居住者] are deemed[被视为；被认为] responsible unless they can prove otherwise.
The plaintiff[原告]'s lawyer says the family has incurred[招致;遭受] significant costs relating to the girl's treatment and recovery.
As expected, the ruling[裁定] was not well received by some of the building's residents.
"I live on the third floor. I wasn't even at home when the incident happened. I don't understand why the family is asking for compensation[请求赔偿] from all of us."
"We won't pay the compensation at all. It is okay if they ask for donations[请求捐款]. But it is not fair. We will appeal the ruling[上诉 ]."
Some of the apartment owners have submitted evidence[递交证据] that they were not home or living in those apartments at the time of the incident. But the court says none of the evidence could sufficiently prove the defendants' claims. The court says if the perpetrator was found in the future, the current defendants[被告] will be exonerated[使免罪].
The girl's father, a man surnamed[给…取姓氏；以姓氏称呼] He, says he understands the controversy[争论；论战；辩论] surrounding the case, but is satisfied with the ruling[判决;裁定书].
"We are happy with the court's decision, but we are facing the pressure of public opinion. Some defendants feel the ruling was unfair. But we are telling our story before the court of law, and it made a lawful decision, so we stand by[支持] it."
Local police say the lack of hard evidence[确凿的证据;真凭实据]complicated the case. Security monitors[监控器] have since been installed outside the residential building[住宅建筑物] and its surrounding buildings[周边建筑物].
However, local police officer Yi Wenchuan says dangerous objects[危险物品] have not stopped coming down.
"Often people throw down rocks, glass bottles, and other dangerous items. We have been called a few times regarding[关于，至于] such incidents. It has happened both before and after the case involving the baby girl."
Similar cases[相似的情况;类似案例] in China have happened before, involving injuries and even deaths. It was not the first time either that the entire building's occupants have been sued.
The family's lawyer says seeking legal protection[法律保护；合法保护] and compensation is only a last resort[最后一招] in such cases. All parties involved in the case have called for more moral awareness[道德意识] and civility[礼貌；礼仪；端庄] among those who may want to drop things out of their windows.
For CRI, I'm Victor Ning.
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