Woman ordered to pay 1,100 yuan for kicking driver’s seat

A Shanghai court ordered a Japanese woman to pay 1,100 yuan ($173) in compensation for kicking a taxi driver's seat after he refused to turn down the radio, Shanghai Changning District People's Court said Monday.

The defendant, surnamed Yuri, was riding in the backseat of a taxi on Changning Road on March 2 when she asked the driver to turn down the radio because she was on the phone, the court said in a news release.

The driver, surnamed Wang, lowered the volume, but turned it back up again after Yuri got off the phone, the court said. An argument began, which culminated with Yuri kicking the back of the driver's seat.

Wang reported the incident to police and was sent to the hospital for treatment. Doctors said he sustained a blunt injury to his lower back, the court said. Later, blood was found in his urine.

He sued Yuri in Changning district court for 1,700 yuan in lost income after doctors ordered him to take a week off to recover from his injury.

In court, Yuri said that she kicked the back of Wang's seat by accident. Furthermore, she said that Wang's injuries were the result of the kidney stones he suffered from and had nothing to do with her. The court gave the defendant the benefit of the doubt, but concluded that she should not have kicked the driver's seat.

Global Times