Lu Dahai also understood the feelings of Sun Zhiqiang after losing his daughter, but he himself had a lot of grievances. It was originally due to a relative relationship that he helped with makeup, but unexpectedly the bride died in the store. He not only thought it was unlucky, but also believed it would affect the business of the wedding dress shop. He didn't know where to complain. Seeing Sun Zhiqiang very impulsive, Lu Dahai did not dare to say these words, but instead said: "Such an accident is something no one wants to see. But, it really has nothing to do with our store. I am operating legally!"
As society develops, some ancient elements have also continuously penetrated and spread in cities. Nowadays, towns and villages also have fashionable wedding photography studios. Deng Xiaochao's relatives, Lu Dahai and Lan Caiping, opened a Blue Sky Wedding Photography Studio in a nearby town. After the marriage was decided, Deng Xiaochao and Sun Lina took a set of wedding photos at Lu Dahai's studio. Then, the Deng family began to arrange the new house, slaughter pigs and sheep, buy banquets, and the whole family was busy preparing for the wedding ceremony. Meanwhile, the Sun family was also busy arranging dowries, informing relatives and friends, and everyone was happily running around.
On June 8th, the matchmaker brought the girl and her parents, Sun Zhiqiang and Wu Lamai, to meet. Deng Xiaochao's parents were somewhat disappointed when they saw the girl. Sun Lina seemed a bit sensitive and her speech lacked logic. But then they thought, which smart and handsome young lady would be willing to marry their honest son? Among the three unfilial acts, having no descendants is the greatest. Their already 21-year-old son couldn't afford to delay, so getting him married and having children as soon as possible was the top priority. After quietly discussing, the couple decided not only to marry this girl but also act immediately. This idea was supported by Sun Lina's parents, and ultimately, the four elders set the wedding date for July 23rd. Sun Zhiqiang proposed that before the wedding, the male side should pay a dowry of 60,000 yuan. Deng Xiaochao's parents were also straightforward and gave 20,000 yuan on the same day, later gathering another 40,000 yuan and sending it to Sun's family on July 19th.
Court ruled the responsibilities of all parties
Deng Xiaochao is a simple farmer from Sunlao Village, Zhangji Old Town, Huai'an City, Jiangsu Province. Although he is just over twenty years old, his marriage has become a heartache for his parents. Watching the young men of the same age in the village find partners and get married, the honest Deng Xiaochao has become a difficult case in marriage. Just after the Spring Festival in 2010, his parents started seeking help from relatives and friends to ask people to introduce potential partners for their son.
In early June 2010, another matchmaker came to Deng's home. The person introduced an object from the successful village named Sun Lina. "Farmers don't have high requirements for finding a wife," Deng Xiaochao's mother responded while secretly rejoicing. She urged the matchmaker to quickly arrange a meeting between the two families.
The wedding day turned into a tragedy. This incident was so bizarre that not only Sun Lina's parents could not accept it, but also the Deng family was confused. With life being precious, how did Sun Lina die? To clarify the cause, both families chose to report the incident to the police.
On December 3, 2011, the Huaiyin District People's Court of Huai'an City made its first-instance judgment: Lu Dahai and Lan Caiping compensated Sun Zhiqiang and Wu Lamai more than 55,000 yuan; Deng Xiaochao compensated Sun Zhiqiang and Wu Lamai more than 27,000 yuan. However, for Wu Lamai and Sun Zhiqiang, no matter how much compensation they received, it could not bring their daughter back to life. (The names of the parties involved and the name of the wedding photography store are all pseudonyms.)
After the court's review, it was considered that Sun Lina went to the Blue Sky Wedding Photography Store for pre-wedding makeup and should have received safe and meticulous services. However, due to factors such as high temperature, high humidity, poor ventilation, and small space in the wedding photography store, Sun Lina's death occurred. Therefore, Lu Dahai and Lan Caiping should bear corresponding responsibilities. Regarding Deng Xiaochao's responsibility, the court believed that Deng accompanied Sun Lina to the wedding photography store for makeup and should have fulfilled appropriate duties such as guardianship and reminders. In cases of emergency or unexpected situations for Sun Lina, he should have taken active measures to rescue her. From the development process of this case, Deng Xiaochao's duties in guardianship and reminders were insufficient. Therefore, for Sun Lina's death, Deng Xiaochao should bear a certain amount of responsibility.
After receiving the identification report, on January 17, 2011, Sun Zhiqiang and his wife sued the operators of the wedding store, Lu Dahai and Lan Caiping, as well as the groom Deng Xiaochao, demanding compensation from the defendants.
The news of their daughter's death was like a thunderclap for Sun Zhiqiang and Hu Lamai. Their daughter who was alive in the morning passed away at noon, turning the joyous event into a tragedy. Such an unexpected twist was hard for the elderly couple to accept. They decided to find out the truth from the groom and the wedding photography store.
To make the bride more beautiful on her wedding day, at around 7:00 AM on July 23rd, Deng Xiaochao went to Sun's house to pick up Sun Lina and take her to Lu Dahai's Blue Sky Wedding Photography Store for makeup and wedding dress fitting. The makeup lasted for more than an hour, and after careful decoration by the makeup artist, Sun Lina looked radiant. The makeup artist also selected a wedding dress for Sun Lina. Although the dress wasn't thick, in the scorching heat of July, Sun Lina still felt suffocated and hot after putting it on. She quietly muttered, "It's too hot." However, the people around her were busy with other things and paid no attention. Around 9:00 AM, Sun Lina suddenly fainted on the ground.
From the identification conclusion of the public security organs regarding the cause of Sun Lina's death, it can be seen that the death of Sun Lina was also related to the physical condition of the victim. Sun Lina should also bear a certain amount of responsibility. Ultimately, the court comprehensively determined that Lu Dahai and Lan Caiping should bear 20% of the losses caused by Sun Lina's death, and Deng Xiaochao should bear 10% of the responsibility.
In the courtroom, Lu Dahai felt extremely wronged. He believed that Sun Lina just sat down for makeup at the wedding store. Although it was midsummer, it was overcast that day, with a temperature of only 23 degrees Celsius. Under such temperature conditions, it was impossible to suffer from heatstroke, nor did it conform to the characteristics of heatstroke. "Sun Lina's death was entirely due to her own physical condition, it should be categorized as sudden death. Why should we compensate for the loss?" Lu Dahai said.
When Sun Zhiqiang heard him shirking responsibility, he became even angrier: "It's because you didn't provide timely treatment and sent her to a smaller hospital to save money, which delayed the treatment time for my daughter."
After arriving at Guolin Health Center, the doctor conducted a preliminary examination and found the situation very serious, suggesting immediate transfer to a larger hospital for treatment. However, when Sun Lina was sent to Huaiyin Hospital in Huai'an City, she had already stopped breathing.
Lu Dahai listened to Sun Zhiqiang's words and became defensive: "We sent her to Guolin Hospital because it was closer, which would avoid delays in treatment. Sending her to a hospital in Huai'an City would be far away, plus traffic congestion. Our decision to go to Guolin Hospital was not wrong."
Sun Zhiqiang encountered a soft rejection at Lu Dahai's place and then went to settle accounts with the Deng family. At this point, the Deng family was still stunned by the accident. When Sun's family led dozens of people rushed in shouting "Give me back my daughter," the Deng family didn't argue back either, angrily stating, "We spent 60,000 yuan as a dowry but didn't get a wife. We're like eating Huanglian in silence!" Immediately, they gathered a large group of people to retaliate. The two families, who were about to become in-laws, instantly became enemies, and they engaged in a fierce fight. Later, someone reported the incident, and the police station promptly intervened, quelling the brawl.
On December 3, 2011, Sun Zhiqiang and his wife received more than 80,000 yuan in compensation from the first-instance judgment. However, for the elderly couple, no matter how much compensation they received, it could not bring their daughter back to life.
(Excerpted from Legal and Life Biweekly, February Upper Half, 2012)
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The bride died in the makeup room of the wedding photography store on her wedding day. Afterwards, the bride's parents sued the operator of the wedding photography store and the groom for death compensation. Why did the bride die? What kind of judgment will the court make on the lawsuit filed by the bride's parents?