[4] Chongqing Wanzhou Second Bridge

[5] This week, major news media have been closely following the latest developments in the Chongqing Wanzhou bus plunge incident, while the entire nation is also intently watching for any miraculous survivors among the passengers.

[6] At 23:28 on October 31, the bus that plunged into the Yangtze River from the Second Bridge in Wanzhou, Chongqing, was finally hoisted out of the water, with sirens sounding at the scene in mourning. Fifteen vibrant lives vanished in an instant, and our hearts ache for them. There is also a figure worthy of our attention: Zhou Xiaobo, the deputy captain of the Chongqing Wanzhou Blue Sky Rescue Team, who participated in the rescue efforts from the very beginning. Tragically, his father was among the victims on the bus. Despite enduring the grief of losing a loved one, he remained at his post for 80 hours, persevering until the very end of the rescue operation. Such integrity deserves commendation.

Of course, while we mourn the deceased, what concerns us most is the cause of this accident. On November 2, the cause of the accident finally came to light. It was infuriating to learn that the vehicle plunged into the river because a female passenger, surnamed Liu, had argued with the driver, surnamed Ran, after missing her stop.

　　The course of events

At 10:03:32 on October 28, Liu rose from her seat and walked to the right rear side of Ran, who was driving. Leaning against the handrail next to Ran, she began to rebuke him. Ran turned his head multiple times to explain and argue with Liu. The dispute between them gradually escalated, and they exchanged offensive language.

At 10:08:49, as the bus was traveling on the Wanzhou Yangtze River Second Bridge, 348 meters from the south bridgehead, Liu struck the right side of Ran's head with her right hand holding a mobile phone. At 10:08:50, Ran released the steering wheel with his right hand to retaliate, turning sideways and swinging his fist to hit Liu's neck. Subsequently, Liu again struck Ran's shoulder with her phone, and Ran blocked with his right hand and grabbed Liu's right upper arm.

At 10:08:51, Ran withdrew his right hand and sharply turned the steering wheel to the left with his right hand (the vehicle was traveling at 51 km/h), causing the vehicle to lose control, veer left across the central solid line, collide with an oncoming red sedan (traveling at 58 km/h), then rush onto the curb, break through the guardrail, and plunge into the river.

The scene of the bus plunging into the river in Wanzhou, Chongqing.

Because of this behavior, the lives of 15 people on the bus were forever frozen on October 28. According to the investigation, passenger Liu, while riding the bus, argued with the bus driver Ran, who was driving, and twice used a mobile phone to attack the driver Ran, endangering vehicle operation safety and seriously threatening public safety. As a bus driver, Ran, while driving, argued with passenger Liu and, after being attacked by Liu, should have realized that retaliating and grappling would seriously endanger vehicle operation safety, but failed to take effective measures to ensure driving safety. He released his right hand from the steering wheel to retaliate against Liu, then used his right hand to block Liu's attacks and grappled with Liu, severely violating professional bus driver regulations. The mutual assault between passenger Liu and driver Ran caused the vehicle to lose control, resulting in a collision with an oncoming car and a plunge into the river, causing heavy casualties.

　　因此，The mutual assault between passenger Liu and driver Ran has a causal relationship in criminal law with the harmful consequences. Their actions seriously endangered public safety, violating Article 115 of the Criminal Law and constituting suspected crimes.

The truth of the incident has come to light. Passenger Liu is naturally the target of public condemnation. Such shrewish behavior is common in daily life, but physically attacking the driver on a vehicle, disregarding others' lives, warrants severe punishment as a deterrent. As for driver Ran, some sympathize with him while others condemn his irrationality and impulsiveness. Safety first should be the motto of every driver. Perhaps yielding could have avoided the tragedy. We cannot change the tragedy, but we should reflect on its causes.

Rescue site of the Chongqing Wanzhou bus plunge accident.

Beyond condemning and reflecting on the actions of female passenger Liu and driver Ran.The editor believes that the other 13 passengers on the bus deserve even more reflection. Their indifference and "none of my business" attitude also contributed to the tragedy.[1] Anyone who isn't blind could see that the driver had already turned to fight back. With the dense traffic on the bridge, not to mention the risk of the car plunging into the river, the possibility of colliding with other passing vehicles at any moment was extremely high. Could the passengers not feel that they were already in danger? Why didn't you step in to stop the behavior of these two people? Among the 15 people, aside from the two who were arguing and fighting, if even a few of the other 13 had stepped forward to stop this shrew together, would the tragedy still have occurred? When everyone laments that the lives of the other 13 were innocently lost, don't they think they also bear responsibility?

　　[2] Where has humanity gone???[3] In fact, conflicts between passengers and drivers on buses happen often, but they are only taken seriously when a tragedy occurs. We must firmly remember this bloody lesson, and hopefully those arrogant men and women will restrain themselves. No matter what, you cannot drag others into your death.