Over 170 vehicles abandoned on the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao expressway during the July 21 downpour in the Tongda parking lot in Fengtai District in Beijing. [File Photo: Beijing Times]
Beijing Capital Highway Development Group (BCHD) agreed Tuesday to pay compensation to drivers whose vehicles were damaged on the Beijing-CHong Kong-Macao expressway during the July 21 downpour, the Beijing Times reports.
As the state-owned enterprise in charge of the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao Expressway's construction and operation, BCHD established a compensation scheme after negotiations with the China Insurance Regulatory Commission Beijing Bureau and Transportation Departments.
For drivers with private car insurance, BCHD will pay a full year of car insurance premiums and 2000 yuan (314 USD) of travel compensation to each owner.
As for cars without commercial insurance, BCHD compensate them according to the commercial insurance company's loss determination, alongside a year's worth of car insurance premiums and 2000 yuan each.
Some owners signed compensation agreements with BCHD, but other luxury car owners are not satisfied with the compensation, due to their cars' high value.
"There's a contract between drivers and the highway company. The company should have provided safety services. Drivers with flooded vehicles have the right to claim damages from the company," said Zhu Maolin, a lawyer from Beijing Yixian Law Firm.
BCHD has been accused of failing to close the onramp to the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao expressway and collecting tolls at toll stations during the heavy rain, causing many cars to get stuck on the flooded expressway.
"When the fault lies with the company, drivers can collect relevant evidence and file lawsuits with the courts if they are not satisfied with the compensation agreement," said Zhu.
