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The bridesmaid was hospitalized for 18 days and diagnosed with a burst fracture of her first lumbar vertebra
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A bridesmaid suffered a fractured vertebra and was left disabled after she was reportedly the subject of a “hazing” prank at her friend’s wedding
While she was left alone in a wedding room with 10 men, they allegedly threw the bridesmaid up by holding onto the corners of a bedsheet, causing her to fall on the floor
Ultimately, the bridesmaid received nearly $34,000 in compensation from the newlyweds and the groomsmen involved in the incident
A bridesmaid suffered a fractured vertebra during a dangerous wedding prank.
In October 2023, a 20-year-old woman, Zhang, found herself disabled after serving as a bridesmaid in one of her close friends’ weddings, according to court documents obtained by the South China Morning Post, the Global Times and the Yangtze Evening Post.
Hunnao, also known as wedding hazing, is an ancient Chinese custom that was originally intended to ward off evil spirits and break the ice for newlyweds, per the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It has since evolved into what often manifests as aggressive and dangerous pranks toward the newlyweds and the bridesmaids.
In her case, Zhang was allegedly left alone in a wedding room with 10 men, most of whom were groomsmen.
At one point, a groomsman allegedly dragged her out of the closet that she was hiding in before pushing her onto a bed, per court documents obtained by the Yangtze Evening Post.
With help from the other men, he then reportedly tossed Zhang into the air by holding onto the corners of a bedsheet. While they successfully threw her up and caught her the first time, she fell onto the floor on their second attempt.
“I was present on the wedding day, on the right side of the bed in the room where the pranks took place,” one of the groomsmen, Hu, testified, per the documents obtained by the Yangtze Evening Post. “[The groomsman] pulled [Zhang] onto the bed, and the others grabbed the corners of the blanket and threw it up. A total of 10 people participated in pulling the blanket; I didn’t recognize the others.”
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“Ten people is just a rough number; many people were standing on the bed holding the corners of the blanket, it was very crowded,” he added.
According to the documents, Hu, who allegedly refrained from participating in the hazing rituals, carried Zhang downstairs to wait for an ambulance.
She was then hospitalized for 18 days and diagnosed with a burst fracture of her first lumbar vertebra, according to the reports. A judicial appraisal later determined that Zhang’s injury constituted a Grade 9 disability, corresponding to a 20% disability rate.
After the incident, Zhang sued the newlyweds and the nine people involved in the hazing, demanding roughly $40,000 in compensation for her medical expenses and mental distress.
Ultimately, the newlyweds were held responsible and ordered to bear 40% of the compensation as they failed to take effective measures to stop the wedding pranks — despite being aware of the local custom, according to the documents obtained by the Yangtze Evening Post.
Wang Ji was held responsible for 20% of the liability as he was the one who pulled her out of the closet and onto the bed, per the reports. The remaining eight individuals jointly bore 40% of the liability. The total compensation amounted to nearly $34,000.
Read the original article on People
