Rs 2.63 crore compensation for accident victim
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a landmark judgment, the district motor accidents claims tribunal (MACT) has ordered a compensation of Rs 2.63 crore to a person, who became bed-ridden following an accident. The compensation amount is claimed to be to be the biggest amount that has been awarded by any of the MACT benches in the state.
N S Harikumar of Vellaikkadavu near Vattiyoorkavu is the petitioner in the case. He was working as a fitter with English Indian Clays Ltd when the accident overturned his life. It was on July 20, 2014, Harikumar, aged 47 then, who was riding a motorcycle was knocked down by a car near TTC junction on Kowdiar-Vellayambalam road. As per the chargesheet filed by the city traffic police, it was the reckless driving by the car driver, identified as Athul of Pongummoodu, caused the accident. The accident had also rendered Harikumar speechless. He was represented by his wife K S Sobha before the court.
Though the insurance company argued that it was the negligence of Harikumar that led to the accident, the judge dismissed it taking the chargesheet filed by the police as the key evidence.
As per the order issued by Judge K E Salih, the insurance company that provided coverage to the car that caused the accident was liable to pay Rs 2.63 crore to the petitioner. The actual compensation warded was Rs one crore.
However, the judge also considered the financial loss suffered by the petitioner due to litigation that had been going on for the past three years and ordered the insurance company to compensate the court fee and other related expenses, totalling to Rs 2.63 crore.
According to Harikumar’s counsel advocate Vazhuthacaud Narendran, the compensation ordered was one of the biggest amounts awarded by motor accidents claims tribunals in the state. Though actor Jagathy Sreekumar, who is still recovering from a road accident, had received a much bigger compensation, that was through an out-of-court settlement with the insurance company, he pointed out.
