Woman Sues Colleague For Allegedly Giving Her A Rib-Cracking Hug

Hugging may be the language of warmth and affection for many. However, for a woman in China a hug from a colleague did not turn out to be a pleasant experience as it left her with broken ribs.

The unidentified woman, who filed a lawsuit against her colleague, alleged her coworker fractured three of her ribs by giving her a hug. The employee was brought before the Yunxi Court by the woman, who asked to be reimbursed for the money she lost as a result of the allegedly rib-crushing hug, Next Shark reported.

The male colleague, whose name has not been made public, approached the woman when she was having a conversation with a colleague at work and embraced her in a manner that left her screaming with pain. The incident reportedly occurred in May 2021.

The woman, a resident of China's Yueyang city, claimed to have felt soreness in her chest even at the end of the day the incident occurred. Rather than seeking medical assistance, she decided to resort to hot oil therapy.

The pain, however, grew drastically over the next five days, which was when she decided to seek medical attention.

The medical examination found her severe chest pain to be caused by three fractured rib bones. She was found with two broken ribs on the right side of the rib cage and one on the left.

The severity of her condition compelled her to take a leave of absence from work, which consequently affected her income for the month. She was also required to spend money on medical services and health-care expenses, the Free Press Journal.

Before approaching the court, the woman had reportedly explained her ordeal to her colleague. However, the man refuted all her claims, and refused to offer monetary aid to support her treatment and compensate for her loss of income.

The woman later sued the man, and sought damages for her lost income. The judge ruled the co-worker should reimburse 10,000 yuan (approximately $1,500) in a settlement. The court ruled there was insufficient evidence to demonstrate the woman's involvement in any other actions that may have resulted in the broken bones during those five days.