Girl dies after falling into river while playing on swing at park in China
A 10-year-old girl in Henan Province, China, drowned after falling into a river from a swing.
According to China News, the incident happened on 30 March 2024 at a wetland park in Xinxian County, Xinyang City.
On that day, the girl had gone to the park with her mother, Ms Pan (name transliterated from Chinese). She then wandered off alone to use a riverside swing that had been tied to a tree.
Source: Canva. For illustration purposes only.
CCTV footage captured her starting to use the swing at around 12.47pm.
Just 23 seconds later, she plunged into the river. She struggled for nearly three minutes before disappearing underwater.
Rescue in vain as child dies in hospital
It took ten full minutes before anyone noticed the girl drowning and pulled her out of the river.
Sadly, she was later pronounced dead at the hospital. The person who eventually found her was Mr Huang, the man who had installed the swing.
The girl’s family went on to sue Mr Huang, the local village committee, and the township government.
Mr Huang had set up the swing back in 2021 by tying it to a tree trunk on the riverbank. He offered it to the public for free.
The area beneath the swing was roughly 2m deep, and a fixed bamboo raft had been placed on the water’s surface, with the bank itself about 2m above.
Swing became trendy photo spot in park
Mr Huang shared that the swing quickly gained popularity on local social media platforms, becoming a trendy photo spot in the park.
He later formalised the setup with the village committee, signing a cooperation agreement and paying rent to use the location.
A court inspection later found multiple warning signs at the site, including ones that read “Deep Water Danger” and “Strictly Prohibited: Playing in the Water”, along with reminders stating that children must be accompanied by adults.
During the trial, the township government argued that the park was an open, natural landscape, and not a developed or commercialised site.
Since there was no official park management body, it claimed it should not be held liable.
Source: Xinyang Intermediate People’s Court
The court of first instance ruled that the girl, being over the age of 10, had limited civil capacity — meaning she had some level of judgement and awareness of danger.
They said she should have been able to recognise the risk of swinging over the water and bear partial responsibility for her decision to play alone.
Parents found mostly at fault
The court also said the girl’s parents had failed to supervise her properly.
During the 12-minute window in which the girl left her mother and ultimately drowned, no one noticed she was missing — a serious lapse in parental responsibility, the court stated.
Mr Huang was also at fault for failing to perform safety inspections or provide adequate safety measures. The village committee was likewise deemed negligent for failing to address the hazard.
However, the township government was found to have fulfilled its duty by placing appropriate warnings and conducting inspections, and was cleared of liability.
Court orders parents to bear 80% responsibility
The court determined that the drowning resulted in over RMB890,000 (S$159,400) in economic loss. It ruled that the girl’s parents must shoulder 80% of the blame.
Mr Huang was found 15% liable and was ordered to pay over RMB130,000 (S$23,200), while the village committee was held 5% responsible and was told to pay about RMB40,000 (S$7,165).
The girl’s family, Mr Huang, and the village committee all appealed, but the Intermediate People’s Court in Xinyang City rejected the appeals and upheld the original verdict, stating the facts were clear and the ruling sound.
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9-year-old girl in China bitten by crocodile, merchant not bearing additional compensation
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Featured image adapted from Canva, for illustrative purposes only, and Xinyang Intermediate People’s Court.
