MACT orders Rs 21L relief for accident victim's kin

Chandigarh, October 18

The Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal (MACT), Chandigarh, has directed an insurance company and the driver and the owner of a car to pay Rs 21,43,000 as compensation to the wife, two children and parents of a man who died in an accident three years ago.

Harjinder Kaur, along with her two children, all residents of Upalheri village in Patiala district, had filed a claim petition under Section 166 of the Motor Vehicles Act, seeking compensation for the death of her husband Gurpreet Singh.

She stated that on December 1, 2020, her husband was going from Uppalheri to Basantpura in Rajpura tehsil on a motorcycle when a car being driven in a rash and negligent manner hit the bike while overtaking it.

The belt of the helmet Gurpreet was wearing broke open due to the impact of the collision. He fell off the motorcycle and suffered injuries on his face, forehead, head and other parts of the body. He bled profusely and was taken to a hospital in Rajpura where he was declared brought dead.

The petitioner stated that her husband was aged about 42 years at the time of the accident . He was a driver by profession and used to earn Rs 25,000 per month besides Rs 9,000 per month as diet money.

The car driver denied the charges levelled against him, while the insurance company stated that the driver did not have valid documents and that the petition was bad for mis-joinder and non- joinder of necessary parties.

After hearing the arguments, the tribunal directed the respondents to pay a total compensation of Rs 21,43,000 to the claimants.