Tribunal awards Rs 23.45 lakh compensation to parents of youth killed in road accident

Thane, Jan 21 (PTI) The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) in Thane has awarded a compensation of Rs 23.45 lakh to the parents of an 18-year-old salesman killed in a road accident involving a speeding truck in 2021.

The truck driver had the last opportunity to avoid the accident, but he failed to control his vehicle’s speed, leading to the collision, and he then fled the scene, MACT presiding member Rupali V Mohite noted in the order on Tuesday.

The tribunal directed the truck's insurer to pay the amount to the claimants and subsequently recover it from the vehicle owner, citing a "willful breach" of insurance terms as the driver lacked a valid transport license at the time of the incident.

The victim, Karan Bhima Jadhav, was riding a motorcycle towards Shilphata in Maharashtra's Thane district on August 17, 2021, when a speeding truck rammed into his two-wheeler from behind on the Mumbra bypass road.

Jadhav, who suffered serious injuries, was rushed to a hospital where he was declared dead before admission.

The Mumbra police had registered an FIR against the truck driver for rash and negligent driving.

The deceased worked as a salesman at a company, earning Rs 20,000 per month, the claimants told the tribunal.

The MACT noted that the offending truck driver ran away from the spot after the accident.

"The driver of the offending vehicle was the person having the last opportunity to avoid the accident," it observed.

He could not control the speed and hit the motorcycle from behind. This shows rash and negligent driving, the MACT said.

While the MACT noted the family's claim that he earned Rs 20,000 as a salesman, a notional income of Rs 15,000 per month was used due to a lack of documentary evidence.

The tribunal ordered that the compensation amount be paid with 9 per cent interest per annum from the date of the petition.

Of the total amount, Rs 10 lakh was allotted to Jadhav's father and Rs 13.45 lakh to the mother, with a portion to be kept in fixed deposits for three years. PTI COR GK