China | Young driver kills family of 3 in rage-fuelled car crash

Heartbroken grandmother of killed baby boy calls for death penalty to be handed to ‘inhumane’ driver who is labelled a ‘monster’ online

A 20-year-old Chinese man who drove recklessly after quarrelling with his girlfriend caused an horrific accident that killed a family of three.

The driver, who showed no remorse and laughed and joked about the deaths, has ignited a wave of public outrage online.

The tragedy occurred on October 2, 2024, when the man, surnamed Liao, from Jingdezhen in southeast China’s Jiangxi province, drove recklessly after an argument with his girlfriend.

He drove a Tesla at 129 km/h on a road with a speed limit of 40km/h, ignoring his girlfriend’s repeated desperate pleas to slow down, until he ultimately struck three people.

The family consisted of a 31-year-old father, his 30-year-old wife, and their baby son, who was just days away from celebrating his first birthday.

They were crossing the road to visit their parents for dinner.

The infant and his mother died instantly, while the father succumbed to his injuries on the way to the hospital.

According to Elephant News, the tragedy has left the victim’s parents with severe depression.

“We were waiting for them to come home for dinner, but all we got was a call from the traffic police telling us they were gone,” said Hu, who lost her son and grandson in the tragedy.

“It feels like the world has collapsed around us,” Hu said.

However, after the incident, Liao and his family refused to apologise.

His father even threatened to take action against the victim’s family, and said: “My son killing your son was an act of God, you suing my son is a man-made disaster!”

Hu also revealed that Liao showed no compassion at the scene of the tragedy.

She said: “The scene was blood soaked, yet he was chatting, joking and laughing about my baby. Does he have any humanity?”

Liao’s father offered the family 800,000 yuan (US$110,000) in compensation and proposed that his son would take care of the victims’ elderly parents after his release from prison, but this was rejected.

“What use is the money when two generations of my family are gone? How could he even suggest such a thing? Why would we allow the murderer who destroyed our family to take care of us?” Hu asked.

On April 15, during the four-hour trial at Jingdezhen Intermediate People’s Court in Jiangxi province, Hu publicly called for the harshest punishment, urging the court to sentence Liao to death.

“This man is only 20 years old, but he is already so cruel! One life for three lives, that is the only justice,” Hu said.

Liao is facing charges of endangering public safety by dangerous means. The case is still being investigated.

The tragedy has sparked widespread public outrage.

One angry online observer said: “This was intentional murder. He must pay with his life.”

“This is just too heartbreaking to watch. I hope this grieving mother can stay strong and see justice served, so that the ‘monster’ gets what he deserves!” said another.

Source: scmp.com, Yating Yang, April 22, 2025

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

— Oscar Wilde

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