Mohali: Tribunal awards ₹81.23 lakh to kin of man killed in road mishap

Truck driver and the concrete firm owner denied liability and claimed that the car-borne deceased himself caused the accident while trying to overtake a bicycle

The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) has awarded ₹81.23 lakh to the family of a Jhanjheri man who died after a concrete mixer truck hit his car in 2024. The tribunal held the truck driver responsible, rejecting the claim blaming deceased Ranbir Singh, 48, for the mishap.

A Jhanjheri man lost his life after his car was hit by a truck on May 13, 2024. (HT File)

The amount will go to the widow, two children and aged parents of Ranbir who was self-employed. The tribunal also granted 9% annual interest from the date of filing of the claim petition till realisation along with ₹4,000 as cost and ₹5,000 as counsel fee.

The family had approached the tribunal after the mishap took place on May 13, 2024, in Jhanjheri when the victim was returning from a hospital after visiting his ailing father. According to case records, the truck, coming from Sirhind side, struck his car while overtaking it. Ranbir was taken to Sohana Hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.

The tribunal said the evidence on record supported the family’s version. It relied on the FIR, police challan, postmortem report, site plan and the testimony of eyewitness Rajbir Singh who was following Ranbir in another car at the time of the accident. The tribunal noted that the police had filed the challan against truck driver Mukesh Kumar Gupta, and said the respondents failed to shake the credibility of the claimants’ witnesses.

The driver and the owner of the concrete firm had denied liability and claimed that Ranbir himself caused the accident while trying to overtake a bicycle. The insurance company also challenged the claim, alleging that the FIR was based on false facts. It questioned the driver’s licence and authority to drive the vehicle. The tribunal, however, found no material to support those objections and held the truck driver negligent.

For compensation, the tribunal considered Ranbir’s income tax returns and treated his latest annual income, after tax deduction, as ₹6.47 lakh. After applying deductions, future prospects and the relevant multiplier, it calculated the family’s loss of dependency at ₹78.93 lakh. It then added compensation for funeral expenses, loss of estate and consortium, raising the final award to ₹81,23,405.

The tribunal distributed the compensation by granting 25% each to the widow, daughter and minor son, and 12.5% each to the deceased’s mother and father. It directed that the minor son’s share be kept in a fixed deposit until he turns major. The tribunal held the driver, owner and insurer jointly liable, directing them to pay the amount.