On December 2nd, the topic of “45-year-old doctor dies in car accident, performing at least two surgeries every day” trended online. Liu Lei, a 45-year-old chief physician from Haining City, Zhejiang Province, suffered severe head injuries in a car accident and eventually passed away despite rescue efforts.
Liu Lei was the chief of thoracic surgery at Haining City People’s Hospital and held the title of chief physician. He passed away on November 28th at the age of 45.
Public information indicates that Liu Lei, originally from Yichun, Jiangxi Province, is a member of the Chinese Communist Party and graduated from Suzhou University in 2002 with a degree in clinical medicine.
According to Jiupai News, the accident occurred at a zebra crossing near Liu Lei’s residential area, across from a charging station and next to a primary school. The security guard on duty at the entrance of the residential area recalled that on the night of November 27th, it was drizzling around 9:30 pm. He heard an ambulance arriving and saw doctors using a stretcher to carry a patient into the vehicle, only then realizing that an accident had occurred.
On that day, after parking his car, Liu Lei was crossing the road back home. As he reached the middle of the pedestrian island where the traffic light was flashing yellow, a car descended from the bridge on Wenzong Road. The driver, distracted by using a mobile phone, did not slow down and hit Liu Lei on his left side. Liu Lei was knocked down, hitting his head on a triangular pillar on the pedestrian island, causing him to be severely injured and lose consciousness.
The driver, a man around 30 years old, did not stop immediately after hitting Liu Lei. It was only after driving a short distance that he vaguely realized that he had hit something. He stopped the car and stayed at the scene. A passing high school student witnessed the incident and immediately called the police.
The ambulance that arrived was from Haining City People’s Hospital where Liu Lei worked.
Reports stated that at the downhill zebra crossing where the accident took place, only the yellow light was flashing, while the traffic signal was off.
A police officer from the Haizhou Squadron of Haining City Public Security Bureau Traffic Police Team mentioned that the accident happened at night and both parties did not see each other clearly. The car driver went straight without noticing anyone on the pedestrian crossing. Pedestrians have the right of way on pedestrian crossings, and vehicles should yield to them. The specific division of responsibility for this accident needs to be determined by the relevant authorities.
Despite undergoing two surgeries for severe head injuries, Liu Lei did not recover and passed away at 9:31 am on November 28th at Haining City People’s Hospital.
After the accident, the driver’s family communicated with Liu Lei’s family once in an attempt to seek forgiveness, resulting in a heated argument between the two parties.
Following the coverage of the incident, many netizens expressed sorrow for the passing of the 45-year-old doctor.
“Lumos26”: Studying medicine diligently for twenty years, only to be harmed by a careless driver like this.
“Baidu user 2a9c2717”: He passed away at the age of 45, it’s so heartbreaking.
“Pain of Haze”: A family’s pillar is gone just like that.
“Snow Twilight”: Driving while using a mobile phone, the driver is definitely at fault.