Family of road mishap victim gets Rs 13 lakh

The Solapur Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) has directed a Bangalore-based transporter and an insurance company to jointly pay a compensation of Rs 13 lakh to a woman from the district and her three children in a 2010 road accident case in which she lost her husband.
Solapur MACT member SP Pokshe in the judgement delivered recently directed Tokio General Insurance Company and owner of the truck KN Palaniappan to jointly pay Rs 13.13 lakh as compensation to complainant Sangita Pawar (27) and her three children.
In his submission, advocate SC Bodulla, representing the complainant, told the court that deceased Somnath Pawar (33) worked as a Marketing Manager at a hotel in Karmala area of Solapur and was the sole bread earner of the family.

On February 26, 2010, while he was riding pillion on a motorcycle with his friend Dattaray Kokate on their way to Temburni from Karmala, a speeding truck coming from the opposite direction collided head-on with the bike, leaving the two dead on the spot, Bodulla said.
The owner of the truck did not appear in the court and the case was decided ex parte against him, while the insurance company represented and contested the claim.
In its submissions, the insurance company said the accident occurred due to negligence of the driver of the motorcycle but the contributory negligence argument was dismissed by the court.

The judge observed, "The postmortem report discloses the cause of death as shock and hemorrhage due to severe crush injuries on head and face."
"The truck involved in the accident came at a high speed and the driver was driving rashly and negligently and hit the motorcycle from the opposite direction in which Samantha died," the judge added.