Son's Rebuke After Cancer Mom's Staged Crash Leads to Donations

An elderly Chinese woman with oral cancer staged a road accident in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, in an attempt to claim money from a driver, only to be confronted by her son, who filmed the scolding. After the video went viral with over 10 million views, strangers donated more than 20,000 yuan (US$2,873) to cover her medical bills, Cover News reported on Monday.

The son, surnamed Xiong, said his 64-year-old mother was diagnosed in July last year and has since undergone repeated treatments.

"I'm from a single-parent family. My parents divorced when I was little. Both were retired workers from mining companies in Huangshi and I stayed with my mother," Xiong told the news outlet. "My father isn't in good shape financially or health-wise, so I've been looking after her alone since she got sick."

On the morning of January 17, while Xiong was cooking lunch, his mother left home without notice. When she didn't return, he called her phone, and a traffic police officer answered.

The officer explained that an elderly woman had been found on the road, foaming at the mouth and unable to unlock her phone due to facial muscle deformation from surgery. A truck driver had reported a possible collision.

"The road is more than a kilometer from our place. She wouldn't normally go there," Xiong said. "Because of the treatment costs, she'd thought about things like this before. I wondered if she was trying to fake an accident, but worried she might really be hurt, so I followed the ambulance to the hospital."

At the hospital, doctors found only a minor ankle injury. Xiong's suspicion grew, and a later review of traffic camera footage confirmed the truck never touched her.

In a video shot at her bedside, Xiong is heard demanding: "They said they didn't hit you. Were you trying to scam them? There are cameras everywhere. If you fall on your own, you pay for it yourself. Don't drag others into this."

The woman mumbled that she was just passing by. Xiong shouted back: "How could you do this? How many times have I told you not to?"

Later at home, he pressed again: "Why hurt someone else? For money? A scam?" This time, she admitted, though unclearly, that she wanted a payout. "I thought he had insurance… I had a bad idea, just wanted money," she said.

"I told her other people have families to feed, too," Xiong said. "In the video she admitted she was wrong, said she was terrible and deserved to pay the ambulance fee."

Though she showed regret this time, Xiong feared his mother's desperation might not change. He posted the video as a warning.

The clip drew widespread attention online — some criticism, but mostly sympathy. Strangers began asking how to help.

"When views hit 6 million, I posted my number," Xiong said. "Many added my WeChat, but more just sent money directly to my Alipay — 1 yuan, 5, 20, even 1,000."

Donations topped 20,000 yuan, enough for her next treatment. Xiong said he is grateful but will refuse further contributions.