13-Year-Old Boy Injured in Schoolyard Melee Over Nike Shoes, Suffers Permanent Paralysis and Blindness

A schoolyard bullying incident in Yancheng, Jiangsu, China, involved a 13-year-old boy who suffered severe injuries, including blindness in one eye and paralysis on one side, after being assaulted by a classmate over his Nike shoes. Despite the boy’s multiple requests for assistance, the dorm supervisor repeatedly refused to call his parents, delaying medical treatment. The case later became a tragic example of 'sentence imposed but compensation unmet' due to the perpetrator's inability to pay for the lengthy rehabilitation process.

A 13-year-old boy in Yancheng, Jiangsu, was injured by a classmate after a dispute over his new Nike shoes, resulting in permanent paralysis and blindness in one eye.

Incident Details

During the May Day holiday in 2024, the mother of a 13-year-old boy named Xiaotian bought him a new pair of Nike shoes, which triggered discontent from a new classmate, Xiaohai, who had recently transferred from Grade Three. Xiaohai repeatedly provoked Xiaotian until a physical altercation occurred, during which Xiaohai struck Xiaotian on the head with his fists, causing severe bleeding and resulting in Xiaotian falling into a coma for several months and eventual permanent disability.

Treatment Process and School Response

Xiaotian repeatedly asked the dorm supervisor for help to call his parents for assistance, but the supervisor repeatedly refused. Only when Xiaotian fell unconscious was his parents contacted, wasting the golden window of 2 hours for treatment. Moreover, school authorities exhibited negligence in their handling of the incident, as the school had just held a 'Preventing School Bullying Conference' that morning.