In an apartment building in Zhangjiajie City, Hunan Province, China, a 65-year-old man was injured when he was hit by a knife that fell from a high place, Chinese media outlet China Newsweek reported. According to Du, the son of the injured man, the accident occurred around 3:00 PM on June 21. While Du's father was on the second-floor terrace, a knife and knife holder that suddenly fell from above directly hit his head. He said, "The wound was deep, and there was severe bleeding, with the bone visible," and his father was temporarily hospitalized. On the day of the accident, the management company notified residents about the incident in a chat group for residents and called on anyone with information to come forward, but no one did. Furthermore, although they investigated all the units in the building in question, one by one, with the police, no one admitted it was theirs. The building where the accident occurred did not have surveillance cameras capable of capturing objects falling from a height. The police have reportedly seized the knife in question and are proceeding with its appraisal, stating, "Since fingerprints are no longer recoverable, we will collect DNA as much as possible to narrow down suspects."

According to the article, the apartment building is 22 stories high, and only the second floor has a terrace. Security bars are installed on the windows of the units, and items such as cutting boards, tabletop stoves, and potted plants are placed on the protruding parts outside. The management company had repeatedly warned residents to remove them, but these warnings were reportedly not heeded. Du's father has reportedly already been discharged from the hospital, and Du said, "I want the owner of the knife to be found as soon as possible. Even if it was accidentally dropped by an elderly person or a child, their family should know, having seen the chat group notification. If the culprit is identified, I have no intention of forgiving them and will take legal action." Zhao Liangshan, a lawyer at Shaanxi Hengda Law Firm, explained, "If it is confirmed that the knife was intentionally thrown from a height, there is a possibility that charges of 'crime of throwing objects from a height' or 'crime of endangering public safety' could be filed. Intentionally concealing or not admitting to it could lead to a heavier sentence and could also be subject to administrative penalties by public security organs." He also explained, "If the police exhaust all investigations and still cannot identify the specific perpetrator, all residents in the building who could be the perpetrator will bear compensatory liability." Furthermore, he expressed the view that "the management company, which tacitly condoned the situation where residents placed dangerous items such as cooking utensils on the security bars and failed to provide removal guidance through door-to-door visits or report to relevant departments, also needs to bear appropriate compensation responsibility due to a violation of safety management obligations." (Translation/Editing by Kitada)

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