Fan Bingbing helps send boy injured in accident to hospital

Popular actress Fan Bingbing is being praised by the Chinese media after she rushed an injured young boy to the hospital following a road accident.

The Empress of China star was in Hangzhou to film a reality TV show when she came across the incident on Monday, Jun 15.

According to NetEase, a local traffic police officer explained that the boy and his aunt were travelling on an electric bike when they collided with another vehicle. The boy was reportedly bleeding from his mouth when a car pulled up nearby.

"A female driver wearing a mask asked if the boy needed to be sent to hospital. After I said yes, the woman immediately got out of the vehicle and helped us carry the boy onto the back seat," the police officer said.

It was only when the woman took off her mask to comfort the boy that the officer realised she was Fan Bingbing.

Eye-witnesses at the hospital said the actress comforted the child and stayed with him until doctors finished examining him.

The actress spoke to the doctors and made sure that the boy was out of harm's way before leaving the hospital. She also gave the boy's aunt 300 yuan (S$65) to pay for the treatment, Shanghaiist reported.

According to reports, Fan was dressed in a driver's uniform at the time of the incident as she was taking part in a reality TV programme about celebrities experiencing ordinary occupations. She was assigned the role of a rental car driver and had to wear a uniform for the show. She was with a Korean photographer when she saw the injured boy on the road.

It was reported on Yahoo News that the boy's mother had initially blamed Fan and her co-star for the accident, but later apologised after finding out what had happened and thanked the actress for saving her son.

Many netizens on Chinese social networking site Weibo have praised Fan's actions, though some have expressed doubt and wondered if the whole incident was staged as a "publicity stunt".

seanyap@sph.com.sg