A DNA match has helped police track the 11-year-old girl who put a three-month-old infant’s life in danger when she carelessly threw an apple from a balcony on the 24th floor of a residential building.

The baby girl named Tongtong was diagnosed with a severe traumatic brain injury and traumatic shock at Shenzhen Children’s Hospital after her head was struck by the fruit in Tangxia Town, Dongguan City of south China’s Guangdong Province on March 9.

The baby was being cuddled by her grandfather, who was bringing her home, when the tragedy happened. “Tongtong turned as white as sheet. She immediately lost conscious, even without crying,” the grandfather told the Beijing News.

Neighbors helped the poor baby get to the hospital. Although she underwent a series of surgeries to remove the intracranial hematoma, Tongtong was still in a coma at the ICU for several days.

The doctors say it's highly possible that the girl will continue to suffer from severe symptoms due to the injury. The medical cost of treating Tongtong reached 130,000 yuan (about 20,500 US dollars), with at least 1,000 yuan a day needed, even though she no longer needed a respirator. The cost of her rehabilitation will also be a burden for the family.

The girl, who threw an apple to feed a dog, initially denied her actions because she was afraid of being punished, according to her father, surnamed Liu. However, the police conducted DNA tests and traced the fruit back to her within a week.

Liu paid 30,000 yuan to the baby girl’s family, and promised to pay the medical fees and other compensations because of his daughter’s harmful behavior.

Han Hao, a lawyer at Kangda law office in Beijing, stated that, although the person in this case is a minor, according to the Tort Liability Law, the guardian should bear the liability.

China has seen several controversial cases where people have been hurt or killed by items falling from high-rise buildings. In 2016, a 66-year-old from east China’s Anhui Province, died after he was hit by a brick. As it was difficult to confirm who dropped it, the local court demanded 133 residents from 81 families, as well as the building's management company, pay compensation. Several residents and the company have appealed this ruling.