A driver responsible for a toddler’s death in a hit-and-run accident that shocked China stood trial on Friday, Chinese state media said.
The plight of the two-year-old girl, Wang Yue (王悅), captured the public imagination after surveillance camera footage showed her being hit by two vehicles on Oct. 13 last year in the southern Chinese city of Foshan.
At least 18 people were shown walking past the girl as she lay in the street critically injured, before a female trash collector finally picked her up and moved her to the curb.
Wang Yue died of her injuries, but the video went viral, shocking the Chinese public and triggering an outbreak of national soul-searching about the impact of rapid development and urbanization on society.
Hu Jun (胡軍) allegedly hit and crushed the toddler but failed to stop, according to a statement from the People’s Procuratorate of Nanhai District of Foshan, cited by the official Xinhua news agency.
Hu was driving in dim lighting conditions and torrential rain without his headlights on. The statement said he thought he had hit something but did not stop to check.
The driver saw a surveillance video of the accident on the Internet on Oct. 16 and realized that he was responsible for the incident. He turned himself in to police the same day, the statement said.
Hu’s behavior violated China’s criminal law and he was charged with negligence resulting in the death of another person, according to the procuratorate.
A verdict would be announced at a later date, said the Xinhua report, which did not mention any action in relation to the driver of the other vehicle.
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