I just read the short story and to me it really just sounded like it was outlining a typical car accident situation in China. Maybe it was written the way it was to shock people and draw attention to the growing problem on the nation's roadways.
I can't remember which news source I was reading at the time (MSNBC? Time? 24Sata? ) but I recall reading an article last year that mentioned something about a law in China where if you hit somebody while driving and they are not killed you are supposed to pay for them and their family's medical bills for the rest of your life (or something like that). However, if you
kill somebody while driving you would likely just pay some sort of fine. Not 100% sure on the details, but I do know there have been incidents reported in the news where a driver accidentally hits a pedestrian and then purposely backs over them until they are dead to avoid paying for the person's hospital bill.
Really really unfortunate situation though.
Makes me upset to read about it too.