Pizza Hut Delivery Man, Zhang Jinzhong, Killed In Typhoon During Shift

Last week, a typhoon ripped into Shanghai, forcing an estimated 374,000 people from their homes. During the typhoon, 24-year-old Zhang Jinzhong was sent out to deliver his last pizza of the night. During his delivery, a falling tree brought a power line down into in a nearby puddle, fatally electrocuting him.

According to his friend and coworker, who spoke with the Global Times, the store's manager had asked his supervisors to shut down early because of the weather, but was told to continue operating. The friend said that both KFC and McDonald's had stopped accepting orders by then.

According to the Global Times, Zhang Jinzhong's family has been given 600,000 yuan -- about $94,000 -- in compensation. The family had requested 950,000 yuan (about $150,000). "Pizza Hut should take all of the responsibility for my cousin's death," cousin Li Dongzhi said to the paper. "How could they require him to go out in such bad weather?"

Pizza Hut is owned by Yum Brands, which also owns Taco Bell and KFC. The CEO of Yum Brands has called China the biggest retail opportunity in the 21st century.