Vehicle not insured, accident claim ends in compromise

Aneesha Sareen

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 2

In a rare instance, the kin of a 46-year-old woman, who has been paralysed for life following an accident, withdrew the claim petition filed before the Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal (MACT) after the owner and the driver of the car involved in the mishap paid Rs 12 lakh as compensation in the court.

Following the withdrawal of the petition, the court affected a compromise between the parties. Since the vehicle was not insured, its owner paid from his own pocket.

The compromise, which sends a strong message to all vehicle owners that insurance of a vehicle is a must, was affected as the victim’s kin realised that since the vehicle was not insured, they would face execution hassles if the court penalised the owner with a huge amount as compensation.

The owner would not have been able to pay it from his own pocket.

The mishap had occurred on November 14, 2011, at Batala when Narinder Kaur, a resident of Maloya, was riding pillion on a bike driven by her nephew. A speeding Indica car had hit the bike leaving Narinder Kaur seriously injured. She had remained hospitalised at the GMCH-32 for two months and is still under treatment. The mishap left her bedridden. While she has spent Rs 3 lakh on treatment, she has employed an attendant for Rs 6,000 a month.

The petition filed in the court of ADJ Roopam demanded Rs 25 lakh as compensation from the owner and the driver of the Indica car.

The owner of the car, Pritpal Singh, and his wife, who was driving the vehicle, paid a demand draft for Rs 12 lakh to the victim’s husband in the court, following which the compromise was affected.