Heartbroken Chinese woman dies after marathon boozing session, friends ordered to pay compensation for failing to stop her
- Dinner party ends in tragedy after woman consumes half litre of strong liquor
- Court says friends had obligation to protect, could have saved her life
Three women in southeastern China have been ordered to pay tens of thousands of yuan (several thousand US dollars) in compensation after their friend died when she drank half a litre of strong alcohol at a dinner gathering with them.
A court in Nanchang, Jiangxi province, reached the verdict after concluding that the trio failed to carry out their “reasonable obligation” to stop their friend from drinking excessively and for not trying to save her life.
On May 21, the woman identified by the nickname Xiaoqiu, went to her friend Wang Qi’s home for a dinner party, and they were joined by two other friends Xu and Chen. The purpose of the gathering was for the women to support Xiaoqiu who was upset after her boyfriend broke up with her.
The lovesick Xiaoqiu consumed a total of half a litre of Chinese baijiu liquor, known for its high alcohol content. Wang drank 0.25 litre while the other two women did not drink any.
Accompanied by Xu, Xiaoqiu went to her car to rest after the dinner. But Xu fell asleep and when she woke at about 5am the next day, she realised her friend was not breathing.
She called an ambulance and doctors announced Xiaoqiu’s death an hour later. They said she had died of cardiorespiratory arrest caused by alcohol poisoning.
Xiaoqiu’s parents took the three women to court in June as they believed they were responsible for their daughter’s death. The court agreed and decided they should pay compensation based on different levels of fault.
Wang was ordered to pay 60,000 yuan (US$8,500) because she did not attempt to stop her distraught friend from drinking too much alcohol, then failed to help her when the effects became obvious.
The court said the two other women who drank no alcohol both had an obligation to ensure Xiaoqiu got to the hospital after she had vomited and was unable to take care of herself. They were told to pay 20,000 yuan each.
Alcohol poisoning is serious and sometimes deadly and is the result of drinking large amounts over a short period of time. Drinking too much too quickly can affect breathing, heart rate, body temperature, and gag reflex. In some cases, this can lead to coma and death.
After the tragic story was reported in the Chinese mainstream media, it was swiftly followed by numerous discussions on social media, with Douyin getting 12.6 million views.
“If a person who just got dumped by a boyfriend or girlfriend, or lost his or her job, and wanted to drink with you, you should refuse,” one person advised.
“We should pay attention to our own health,” commented another user.
News of people dying from excessive alcohol consumption is major headline news in mainland China.
Earlier this year, a 34-year-old online celebrity died after drinking two litres of booze during an hours-long live-streaming session.
