Frustrated, the elderly man then slipped his umbrella between the doors in an attempt to hold them open.
However, the oblivious driver did not re-open the doors and started to take off - with the man's umbrella still wedged between the doors.
The elderly man refused to let go of his umbrella and lost his balance - he fell on the ground and was run over by the rear wheels of the bus.
In an updated Weibo post on Monday, the granddaughter said the family lost an appeal against a ruling that indicated both the elderly man and the bus driver were at fault.
The bus driver's actions were believed to be against road safety regulations; but the elderly man, identified by his surname Zhang, also violated pedestrian safety rules, according to a report issued by the Tongxiang city Traffic Police.
These road safety rules warned pedestrians against deliberately blocking public transport by force and causing obstruction to road traffic.
As a result, the Traffic Police ruled that the elderly man and the bus driver shared equal responsibility in the accident.
Expressing her disappointment on Weibo, the granddaughter demanded the driver be brought to justice after the verdict was upheld.
However, the incident sparked an unexpected debate online.
While many net users showed support for the grieving family and criticised the irresponsible driver, others believed the ruling is justified.
"It's really not the driver's fault, your grandfather is the one violating the road safety rules in the first place by forcing his way onto the bus as the doors were closing," one said.
Some even blamed the family for letting the frail elderly man go out alone.
"Your grandfather got hurt because you let such an old man travel alone - your family should share responsibility as well," another commented.
"Most bus drivers are reckless these days, you should have been with your grandfather to help him," one added.
