Tribunal awards compensation to kin of road mishap victim

The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal in Thane has awarded a compensation of Rs 31.43 lakh to the family of a man killed in a road accident, while holding him 15 per cent contributorily negligent for staying too close to the vehicle ahead.

In its order on Tuesday, the MACT directed the owner of a tempo involved in the accident and its insurer to jointly and severally pay the amount to the family of victim Rajaram Narayan Mhatre with 9 per cent interest per annum from the date of the petition.

According to the order, Mhatre was driving his Innova behind an Eicher tempo on the Pune-Nashik Road on December 25, 2020, when the tempo driver suddenly applied brakes without any signal or indication. Mhatre’s car crashed into the tempo, resulting in his death.

While the insurance company argued that Mhatre was solely responsible for the crash as he rammed the vehicle from behind, the Tribunal Member RV Mohite noted that both drivers shared responsibility.

The tribunal also noted that Mhatre did not maintain a “safe distance” between the tempo and his Innova car.

Assessing the negligence of the tempo driver at 85 per cent and Mhatre at 15 per cent, the tribunal initially computed the total compensation at Rs 36.98 lakh.

After taking into account Mhatre’s contributory negligence, it directed the opponents to pay Rs 31.43 lakh.