Accident victim’s family to get ₹14.5 L from police
On 28 October 2018, when deceased Sitaram Prajapati was out on a morning walk at 6.15am near Valan Naka on Mahim Road, a speeding police jeep approached him. Upon noticing Prajapati, the police suddenly applied brakes, but the jeep could not control its speed and rammed into Prajapati
MUMBAI: Five years after a 65-year-old Palghar man lost his life after being hit by a police jeep in Mahim, the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) recently directed the Maharashtra police to pay ₹14.5 lakh with interest at the rate of 7% per annum to the family.
On 28 October 2018, when deceased Sitaram Prajapati was out on a morning walk at 6.15am near Valan Naka on Mahim Road, a speeding police jeep approached him. Upon noticing Prajapati, the police suddenly applied brakes, but the jeep could not control its speed and rammed into Prajapati.
Subsequently, he was thrown to the side of the road, bleeding profusely. He sustained serious injuries to his forehead and stomach.
He was rushed to Wockhardt Hospital, where a CT (Computed Tomography) scan was done along with an operation on his stomach. But the next day, he succumbed to his injuries. Following this, the son of the deceased lodged a complaint, claiming compensation.
According to the Tribunal, considering that the source of income of the deceased was not mentioned, compensation was to be drawn based on the labour charges in 2017, which were ₹200 per day.
Prajapati’s family, which includes his son and his wife, are entitled to get a total amount of ₹14,54,088, including funeral expenses, loss of dependency, loss of estate, filial consortium (to the wife), and medical bills.
This amount includes No Fault Liability (which holds a person or an entity responsible for damage or injuries without requiring proof of fault or negligence) with an interest rate of 7% per annum from the date of institution of petition till its realization, the Tribunal order said.
MACT further directed the police to credit the said compensation amount to the account of the Tribunal, which will then be disbursed to the bank accounts of the wife and the son according to the decided proportion. 75% of the compensation amount is to be paid to the wife, and 25% of the compensation amount is to be paid to the son.
