Delhi tribunal awards ₹16.93 lakh compensation to family of woman killed in 2023 road accident

Delhi tribunal awards ₹16.93 lakh compensation to family of woman killed in 2023 road accident

New Delhi, A motor accident claims tribunal here has awarded compensation of ₹16.93 lakh to the family of a 49-year-old woman who died in a road accident near the Shivaji Park metro station in west Delhi in January 2023.

Delhi tribunal awards ₹16.93 lakh compensation to family of woman killed in 2023 road accident

Presiding Officer Gunjan Gupta was hearing a claim petition filed by the husband and two sons of deceased Suman, a resident of Haryana's Bahadurgarh.

In an order dated June 1, the tribunal said, "The investigations were duly carried out which revealed not only the involvement of the offending vehicle, but also that it was being driven in a rash and negligent manner, which resulted in the accident."

According to the prosecution, the accident took place on January 26, 2023, near the Shivaji Park metro station when a car hit the vehicle in which the deceased was travelling with her family.

The tribunal noted that the impact caused the victims' vehicle to crash into a metro pillar, resulting in fatal injuries to Suman. She later died during treatment at a hospital.

Rejecting the defence version, the tribunal said the driver's testimony was contradictory and unsupported by the mechanical inspection report and other evidence on record.

"The photographs of the vehicles involved in the accident as well as the mechanical inspection report itself shows that the offending vehicle was driven in a rash and negligent manner," the tribunal said.

The insurance company had argued that the driver was allegedly under the influence of alcohol and sought either exoneration from liability or recovery rights.

However, the tribunal rejected the contention, saying no breath analyser or blood test was conducted to establish intoxication beyond the permissible legal limit.

The tribunal assessed the deceased's monthly income on the basis of the minimum wages applicable to a matriculate worker in Haryana and computed the compensation under various heads, including loss of dependency, consortium, funeral expenses and loss of estate.

It noted that the vehicle was insured at the time of accident and directed the insurance company to pay the compensation amount, along with 9 per cent annual interest, from October 14, 2023, till realisation.

Of the total award amount, ₹12 lakh were directed to be kept in fixed deposits for the benefit of the claimants.

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