Boy dies while walking to school | |
http://www.sina.com.cn 2004/06/02 10:12 Shanghai Daily | |
The lives of Hua Shuai, a migrant student, and his family would be totally different if he was able to take the school bus on the morning of May 21. The overcrowded bus didn't have space for any more students and the boy was forced to walk to school with four classmates. The 11-year-old boy never made it though. He died in an accident while play fighting with his companions on the way to school. Hua was pushed by other children and accidentally bumped his head on the stone border of a roadside flower garden. He sustained a brain injury that killed him instantly. Hua's family, who lost their only son, blamed the elementary school for not being able to transport the boy, which indirectly led to his death. But school authorities held a different view. The two sides were locked in a dispute since the accident. The school agreed to pay the family 23,000 yuan (US$2,775) on Monday. Legal authorities attended the mediation on Monday afternoon to notarize the agreement and the school paid cash to Hua's family on the same day. However, the school didn't admit responsibility for Hua's death in the agreement. "We still don't think we are related to the tragedy. The money was given to show the school's due comfort for the parents who lost their child," said Huo Shiyong, the elementary school's principal. The boy's father, 33-year-old Hua Ruwu, signed the agreement. The family agreed to put an end to the dispute after receiving compensation. Attorney chen Binghui of Jiang Nan Lawyer's Firm offered to help the family free of charge. He said the agreement was legally binding, which means Hua's parents had given up the right to file a future lawsuit against the school. Chen said she deemed the school indirectly responsible for the death and the compensation should have been much higher. However, to put an end to the dispute as quickly as possible seemed necessary for the family, she said. A relative said it was important to move on after the tragedy. "We need to let it go. It's enough," said Hua Ruguang, the boy's uncle. Hua ruguang said the boy's mother couldn't get out of bed the past few days. The grandparents, who came from Anhui Province, were on the verge of a breakdown. "We still think the school is responsible. They have always promised to offer free shuttle buses," the uncle said. The yucai Migrant School in Minhang District is run privately and is attended mainly by children from Anhui Province. There are only three buses for 1,024 students.
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