An instructor from a driving school in Minhang district has been sentenced to a year of probation for leaving a student unattended during a driving lesson that led to the death of another student, local media reported Thursday.

The defendant, surnamed Zhou, was charged with causing a traffic casualty in Minhang District People's Court, according to a report in the Shanghai Morning Post.

Zhou left the student, surnamed Zhang, alone in one of the school's cars at 6:40 am on June 4 while she was practicing driving in reverse at the school's training course on Meilian Road. While attempting a left turn, Zhang lost control of the car and drove it into a student who was outside pushing a car that had broken down on the course, the report said. Zhang's car ran over the student and crashed into a tree. He later died at the hospital.

A subsequent investigation found that Zhang had attempted to stop the car, but had mistakenly stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake.

The court found that Zhou violated the law when he left Zhang unattended during a lesson. It ruled that he was entirely responsible for the accident. It also ordered the driving school to pay 1.42 million yuan ($234,584) in compensation to the deceased student's family.

The court initially sentenced Zhou to nine months in prison, but suspended the sentence, allowing him to serve probation. He will not have to serve time in prison if he completes the terms of his probation.

Global Times