In a machinery company located in Qichuyan District, a 7-year-old girl named Shuangshuang was fatally crushed by an electric gate. Subsequently, the girl's parents filed a lawsuit against the company. The case was reported by Express on November 25th of last year. It was learned yesterday by the reporter that the girl's parents were awarded 200,000 yuan in compensation.
On November 2nd of last year, the court of Qichuyan District accepted the case where the plaintiffs, Mr. Songouchang and his wife, filed a personal injury compensation dispute lawsuit against Changzhou Xijingfa Textile Machinery Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Xijingfa Company). The case was publicly tried on November 24, 2010, and December 15, 2010. The plaintiff, Mr. Songouchang, was a machinist for the defendant company. He lived with his wife and daughter Shuangshuang in the inner room of the guardhouse within the factory premises. At around 4 p.m. on October 1, 2010, Shuangshuang was playing in the factory area when she was crushed by the moving iron gate against the doorpost and died instantly. According to the "Medical Certificate of Resident Death" issued by the First People's Hospital of Changzhou, the cause of death of Song Yongshuang was determined to be "respiratory and cardiac arrest caused by compression."
The plaintiffs argued that the defendant had arranged for their family of three to live in the guardhouse, thus having the responsibility to ensure their safety. The facilities provided should have been safe. However, the iron gate involved in the incident was made of angle steel welding, which generated great impact during operation, lacked safety features, and could potentially cause harm or even endanger lives. Additionally, the defendant did not assign specific personnel to manage this gate with potential safety hazards. It was precisely due to the inherent safety defects of the gate and the defendant's negligence in management that led to the tragic death of young Song Yongshuang, causing immense mental distress and suffering to the plaintiff and his family. Therefore, they initiated the lawsuit, requesting the court to order the defendant to compensate them with a total of 485,756.6 yuan.
After court mediation, both parties reached a settlement agreement: the defendant Xijingfa Company had previously paid 14,804.2 yuan to cover the funeral expenses of Shuangshuang for the plaintiffs, Mr. Songouchang and his wife. This amount would not be required to be repaid by the two defendants. Furthermore, the defendant Xijingfa Company agreed to pay a one-time compensation of 200,000 yuan to the plaintiffs, Mr. Songouchang and his wife, for various losses incurred due to the death of Shuangshuang.
Written by Lu Zhengrong and Liu Guoqing