A SHENZHEN hospital whose ambulance hit a young man in 2000 was ordered by the Luohu District People’s Court, recently to pay compensation totaling 2.15 million yuan plus 150,000 Hong Kong dollars.This is a record payout for personal injury for a road accident victim in Guangdong.According to police, the ambulance was not called for an emergency but had been sent by the hospital to pick up someone. A boy who had climbed over a roadside to cross the road was hit by the ambulance 1:00am on April 2, 2000. The driver did not stop but increased speed and left the scene. Police said if the driver had not left the scene the charge would not have been so serious. The victim, Lin, had become almost totally incapacitated after the accident. He was apparently not seriously injured initially, but his doctor said he had been sent to hospital too late. Prolonged bleeding had caused brain damage. Commenting on the accident, the head of the Shenzhen Public Security Bureau said an ambulance should not be used for any purposes other than a medical emergency. Any party who breached the rules would be punished even if there was no accident. (Fan Jingrong)