BEIJING • The parents of a child who died in a traffic accident while riding an Ofo share bike in Shanghai have sued the fast-growing start-up for financial compensation..
BEIJING • The parents of a child who died in a traffic accident while riding an Ofo share bike in Shanghai have sued the fast-growing start-up for financial compensation.
In the first case of its kind, the lawsuit tests the legal responsibility of China’s booming bike-sharing companies when underage children access their bicycles, which have become ubiquitous across the country’s major cities.
The victim, a primary school pupil aged under 12, managed to unlock an Ofo bike on March 26 and was riding with friends when the pupil was struck and run over by a bus, according to Chinese media reports. The child died after being taken to hospital.
Following an investigation, local traffic police determined that the child was riding down the wrong side of the road and bore «primary responsibility» for the accident, the reports said.
Chinese traffic regulations stipulate that children must be at least 12 years old to ride bicycles on public roads.
