One man in eastern China is currently a star after saving four people in danger on Tuesday and in recognition to his efforts, he was given quite an odd reward: a lifetime supply of fish heads.
On Tuesday, Hangzhou Daily reported that good samaritan Lin Xinting was offered by a local business unlimited supply of fish heads from a local restaurant after saving four people from drowning in the weekend after their car went straight into Qiandao Lake.
Lin, a worker for Alibaba, said to the newspaper that he reacted as soon as he spotted a pickup truck ram a minivan and the minivan started skidding to the lake. Without thinking, Lin dove immediately to pull the driver and passengers through the windows of the car, one of them believed to be pregnant.
He said, "There was no time for me to think or be scared. The fastest thing I can do was save lives."
At least 700 people have been estimatedly killed every day in China due to road accidents according to the World Health Organization. However, it is often that witnesses do not help the victims and victims are left in the street without help before paramedics arrive to assist them.
Considering this situation, Good Samaritans in China are protected under the Good Samaritan Law which was enacted on October 1. Under the law, any person who voluntarily assists others in times of emergency or in times where the victims are believed to be injured, ill or incapacitated do not have civil liability in the event of harm to the victims. It also eases the reluctance of people to help others as they fear the possibility of legal repercussions if their assistance fails to take into effect.
Before the Good Samaritan Law was taken into effect, cities like Shenzhen and Shanghai have introduced their own version of the law in 2013 and 2016 respectively. Companies like Alibaba also have their own good Samaritan programs, even one to help those who have been targeted by good Samaritan scams. In Alibaba's program, they offered a one year, 3-yuan insurance policy to victims of good Samaritan schemes and receive up to 20,000 yuan to assist them with their legal fees.
