Thane, Oct 24, (PTI) The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) in Thane has awarded a compensation of Rs 20.97 lakh to the parents of a 24-year-old truck driver, who died in a road accident in 2019.
A copy
of the order dated October 17 by MACT member R V Mohite was made available on Friday.
The MACT held the owner of a tempo, which was involved in the accident, and an insurance company jointly and severally liable. It ordered the insurer to pay the amount first and then recover it from the vehicle owner.
Advocate PS Pandey, who represented the claimants, said that a tempo first hit a parked motorcycle on the Wada-Manor highway on December 20, 2019, before speeding away. It subsequently collided with a truck, severely injuring its driver, Tun Tun Kumar Lalan Bhagat.
Bhagat succumbed to his injuries the following day at the Thane Civil Hospital.
While the tempo owner did not appear during the proceedings at MACT, the insurance company, represented by advocate AK Tiwari, contested the claim on various grounds.
The tribunal analysed the evidence and held that the tempo driver was at fault as he was driving in a rash and negligent manner.
“There is nothing on record to show any contributory act on the part of deceased,” it said, also noting that the tempo driver did not have a valid driving licence.
The tribunal calculated the total compensation of Rs 20.97 lakh based on Bhagat’s notional income of Rs 13,000 per month.
Bhagat’s parents, who are residents of Aurangabad in Bihar, were awarded the compensation with interest at 9 per cent per annum from the date of the petition. PTI COR NR
