On a June afternoon, the sun shines warmly on the city of Nantong. 67-year-old Uncle Zhang leisurely walked into a supermarket in Chongchuan District, ready to buy some daily ingredients.
Uncle Zhang's name is Zhang Qilong, he used to be an engineer and technician, and he is still healthy and happy after retirement. As a veteran worker, he has a pension of 5,000 yuan per month, plus his children live very well, and his living conditions are good. For him, shopping is a little joy of life.
Who knows, the calm afternoon was broken by a sudden change. Uncle Zhang finished shopping and was about to leave when he was stopped by employee Luo Hongxia. Luo Hongxia, a woman in her early thirties, beautiful but straightforward, asked Uncle Zhang if he had forgotten to pay for the two eggs in his pocket.
Uncle Zhang was taken aback when he heard this, and forcefully denied stealing the eggs. The two soon got into a heated verbal altercation.
Uncle Zhang wanted to leave, but was chased and intercepted by Luo Hongxia and other employees. His face flushed, and he angrily walked to the egg shelf, and jerked the egg out of his trouser pocket and threw it on the shelf.
"Is it necessary for me to steal you two rotten eggs?" He roared, clapping his hands to leave. I didn't know that this misunderstanding and quarrel had irreparable consequences due to impulsiveness.
Lao Zhang died suddenly on the spot, and his son claimed 380,000 yuan from the supermarket
"Lao Zhang steals eggs, it's a shame, a handful of old people still do this!" Oh, Lao Wang actually did such an ugly thing!" The surrounding customers talked about each other, and Uncle Zhang's face turned red.
He has always been sensitive and suspicious, and he cares very much about what others think of him, and this is completely untenable.
"I didn't steal! He shouted loudly in anger, and suddenly his eyes turned black, and he fell to the ground with a "plop" clutching his chest.
The supermarket suddenly became a mess, and the onlookers let out exclamations and retreated to make way for space. Luo Hongxia was the first to react, quickly squatted down to check the old man's situation, and quickly dialed 120 for help.
However, when the doctor arrived, it was no longer possible to prevent the tragedy from happening - 67-year-old Uncle Zhang died suddenly of myocardial infarction on the spot.
Half a month later, Lao Zhang's son Zhang Ming took the supermarket to court. He believes that the supermarket employees violently intercepted, threatened, and humiliated him in public, all of which led to his father's sudden death.
Zhang Ming sued the supermarket for compensation of funeral expenses and pensions totaling 380,000 yuan. In this regard, the supermarket is naturally shocked and puzzled. The two created such a long debate and tug-of-war around the tragedy of the sudden death of the old man.
The supermarket denied liability and the court dismissed the claim
In the face of Zhang Ming's accusations and high claims, the supermarket naturally cannot sit still. They immediately retrieved the surveillance video of the day and clearly recorded the incident.
It can be seen in the video that Lao Zhang did secretly take two eggs before the end of shopping. It's not worth much, but it's against the law. After being discovered by employees, Lao Zhang's reaction was also unusually fierce and emotional.
The supermarket believes that the actions of Luo Hongxia and her colleagues are only a legal protection of the supermarket's property rights, and belong to the "self-help remedy" in civil acts, which does not exceed the necessary limit, and there is no violence or threats, and they should not bear any responsibility.
What's more, the old man eventually died of a sudden onset of illness that had nothing to do with the supermarket. In order to prove this, they also specially provided a forensic examination, confirming that Lao Zhang died suddenly due to "myocardial infarction".
After the old man fainted, the supermarket also called the emergency number, and there was no intentional homicide, which is enough to prove that the supermarket has fulfilled its due legal obligations.
After reading the evidence of both parties, the Nantong Chongchuan District People's Court also supported the supermarket's claim. The judge found that Lao Zhang's death had nothing to do with the supermarket and did not constitute any personal injury or intentional homicide.
The courts of first and second instance ultimately rejected Zhang Ming's bizarre "claim for compensation". On the Internet, many legal workers and netizens also praised the judge's judgment for being fair, and the supermarket did not have any civil liability for compensation.
Although the court's judgment shows that the supermarket is not responsible, the occurrence of this incident still makes the supermarket management deeply reflect. As a service industry, they need to work hard to better protect the rights and interests of customers.
The person in charge of the supermarket said that according to the custom, if a customer is found to have accidentally stolen a small amount of goods, they will only ask them to pay for the goods on the spot, and will not pursue heavier legal responsibilities, especially for the elderly.
This time, Uncle Zhang's situation is special, and the employee Luo Hongxia's straightforward personality has caused uncontrollable consequences.
The supermarket management decided that in the future, when encountering similar situations, the store manager must be notified as soon as possible, and the senior staff will patiently persuade them; It is strictly forbidden for other employees to watch and point fingers, let alone publicly criticize and abuse customers.
This will only add to the person's feelings of shame and stress. Special attention should be paid to the mercy of the elderly, the weak, the sick and the disabled.
Although supermarkets are not legally responsible, the loss of a precious life is still regrettable. The supermarket said it would learn its lessons and avoid a repeat of such tragedies. They called on all sectors of society to be tolerant and considerate of these elderly people who occasionally make mistakes and go astray.