Thane MACT awards Rs 19.72 lakh compensation to kin of woman killed in motorcycle accident

Thane, Sep 27 (PTI) The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) in Maharashtra's Thane district has granted a compensation of Rs 19.72 lakh to the family of a 42-year-old woman killed in a motorcycle accident in 2020.

MACT member R V Mohite ordered the motorcycle owner and the insurer, ICICI Lombard General Insurance Co. Ltd, to jointly and severally pay the compensation with an interest of 9 per cent per annum from the date the claim was filed.

A copy of the order dated September 23 was received on Saturday.

The victim, Shivani Sandeep Pashte, a conductor with the Thane Municipal Transport (TMT), was riding pillion on a motorcycle on November 19, 2020, when the vehicle skidded due to rash and negligent driving.

She sustained grievous injuries and succumbed while undergoing treatment at J J Hospital in Mumbai a few days later.

The tribunal noted that at the time of the accident, the motorcycle skidded and Pashte fell and sustained a head injury.

Though road works were underway near the site of the accident, the motorcycle owner had not taken any care, it stated.

While the matter was decided ex parte against the motorcycle owner, the insurance company contested the claim, arguing that the vehicle was not involved in the accident and that the rider lacked a valid licence.

However, the tribunal rejected these contentions.

The tribunal calculated the compensation, taking into account Pashte's income and her contribution to the family.

The deceased was a working woman, performing various household chores, looking after and binding family members with love and affection, and managing her career and family responsibilities, it said.

"So there is a loss on account of domestic service to the claimants due to her accidental death," it stated in the order.

The tribunal granted a compensation of Rs 19.72 lakh to Pashte's husband and two daughters. PTI COR ARU