A 20-year-old bridesmaid, Zhang, suffered a burst fracture of her first lumbar vertebra after being tossed on a bedsheet during a wedding 'hazing' ritual in October 2023. She was hospitalized for 18 days and later appraised as having a Grade 9 disability (20%). Zhang sued the newlyweds and nine participants; the court ordered nearly $34,000 in compensation, assigning 40% liability to the newlyweds, 20% to the man who pulled her from a closet, and 40% jointly to eight others.
Court Orders Nearly $34K After Bridesmaid Disabled in Wedding 'Hazing' Bedsheet Prank
Chinese wedding (stock)Credit: Getty
A 20-year-old bridesmaid identified as Zhang was left disabled after sustaining a fractured vertebra during a dangerous wedding prank, a court ruling stemming from an October 2023 ceremony shows.
According to court documents obtained by Chinese outlets including the South China Morning Post, Global Times and Yangtze Evening Post, the incident occurred as part of a local wedding custom known as hunnao, or wedding hazing. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation notes that hunnao originally aimed to ward off evil spirits but in some places has devolved into aggressive, risky pranks.
Stock image of wedding rings at Chinese weddingCredit: Getty
Witness accounts and court records say Zhang was left alone in a room with roughly 10 men, most of them groomsmen. One man allegedly dragged her from a closet where she had been hiding and pushed her onto a bed. The group then grabbed the corners of a bedsheet and used it to toss her into the air. While they caught her on the first attempt, on a second throw she fell to the floor and suffered a severe spinal injury.
'Ten people is just a rough number; many people were standing on the bed holding the corners of the blanket, it was very crowded,' testified a groomsman named Hu, who said he did not participate in the hazing and later helped carry Zhang downstairs while they awaited an ambulance.
Injury, Hospitalization and Disability Appraisal
Zhang was hospitalized for 18 days and diagnosed with a burst fracture of her first lumbar vertebra (L1). A subsequent judicial appraisal classified her condition as a Grade 9 disability, assessed at a 20% disability rate.
Stock image of a couple showing their hands with wedding ringsCredit: Getty
Legal Action and Ruling
Zhang sued the newlyweds and nine individuals involved in the hazing, seeking roughly $40,000 in damages to cover medical costs and psychological distress. The court found the newlyweds partly liable for failing to take effective measures to stop the pranks despite knowledge of the local custom, assigning them 40% of the compensation. The man alleged to have pulled Zhang out of the closet and onto the bed, identified as Wang Ji, was held 20% responsible. Eight other participants were jointly assigned the remaining 40%.
The total award came to nearly $34,000 and will be distributed according to those liability shares.
Implications
The case highlights growing concern about the escalation of traditional wedding hazing into dangerous behavior and the potential legal accountability of hosts and participants when such rituals cause serious harm. Legal experts say hosts who fail to prevent foreseeable harms may be held responsible for injuries caused during their events.
Sources: Court documents and reporting from South China Morning Post, Global Times, Yangtze Evening Post and Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
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