18,404 Yuan Three-Vehicle Pileup: Insurer Pays Bus Passenger Injured When Semi-Truck Rear-Ends Bus

A bus passenger injured in a three-vehicle collision caused by a semi-truck was awarded 18,404 yuan in compensation, with the truck’s insurer covering the full amount through mandatory and commercial traffic insurance policies after the court rejected the insurer’s attempt to involve a third vehicle that had no contact with the victim.

In July 2011, a semi-truck with a trailer traveling on a suburban road rear-ended a public bus, then sideswiped a sedan. The collision injured seven bus passengers, including the plaintiff. Traffic police determined the semi-truck driver bore full responsibility, while the bus driver, sedan driver, and all passengers were without fault.

The plaintiff, a medical device company employee, was hospitalized for 28 days with injuries requiring second-level nursing care. Medical expenses totaled 10,971.59 yuan, with additional costs for emergency ambulance transport at 710 yuan, medical assistive devices at 170 yuan, and transportation at 179 yuan. The plaintiff also sought compensation for lost income, nursing costs, hospital food allowance, property damage to clothing and a bag, copying fees, and mental distress.

The insurer argued that the third vehicle, the sedan, should share liability under mandatory traffic insurance since all three vehicles were in the same accident. The court rejected this, finding that the semi-truck struck the bus first and only then contacted the sedan, with no direct contact between the bus and the sedan. Since the plaintiff’s injuries resulted solely from the semi-truck collision, the sedan’s insurer had no liability.

The court adjusted several claims. Lost income was reduced from 2,996 yuan to 2,226 yuan because the plaintiff’s claimed salary required tax documentation that was not provided; the court applied the retail industry average instead. Similarly, nursing costs were reduced from 3,080 yuan to 2,508.80 yuan using the manufacturing industry average. Property damage was cut from 687 yuan to 200 yuan due to depreciation. Mental distress was denied as the injuries did not meet the threshold. Total verified damages were 18,404.39 yuan, all covered by insurance. The court reserved a portion of the mandatory insurance limit for the other six injured passengers.