Faulted driver shirks compensation payment, court date

A district court has ordered a driver who vanished after taking responsibility for a car collision to pay the other driver the 3,475 yuan ($567) he promised in compensation, Jing'an District People's Court said Wednesday.

The defendant, whom the court called Zhang Shan, was driving from Huashan Road to the Bund on August 16 when his car rear-ended another vehicle, according to a court press release.

After traffic police determined that Zhang was responsible for the collision, he signed an agreement with the other driver, surnamed Guo, to pay for the damages, the court said. Zhang gave Guo his license plate number and contact information before leaving to take care of an emergency. Guo never heard from Zhang again.

When Guo complained to traffic police, they discovered that Zhang had given him a false plate number.

In November, Guo filed a lawsuit against Zhang to recover the 3,171 yuan he spent repairing his car, plus related expenses.

The court ruled in Guo's favor by default. Zhang never showed up in court.