Kin of road mishap victim gets Rs 40 L compensation

The family members of a aviation instructor, who died in a road accident involving a rashly driven bus of a reputed private school in 2009, have been awarded a compensation of over Rs 40 lakh by a Motor Accident Claims Tribunal here.
The tribunal directed Reliance General Insurance Company Ltd, with which the offending school bus was insured, to pay Rs 40,26,500 to the wife, two children and mother of 61-year-old victim Ashok Kumar Sethi.
Sethi was working as Deputy Chief Instructor (Technical) in Inter Globe Aviation Ltd, a service provider in aviation sector, and was earning over Rs 85,000 per month.

"On an analysis of testimony of the witnesses and the documents placed on record, I am of the view that it was the respondent no.2 (bus driver), who was negligent.
"He all of a sudden...Stopped the bus in the middle of the road. As a result thereof, the car rammed into the bus from behind resulting into death of Ashok Kumar Sethi. The documents show that the vehicle was owned by respondent no.3 (G D Goenka World School) and insured with respondent no.1 (Reliance General Insurance Co, Ltd)," MACT Presiding Officer Sanjiv Jain said.
Sethi's family approached the tribunal for compensation and submitted that the accident took place on August 3, 2009 when the victim was going in his car, being driven by his driver, from Alaknanda to Gurgaon.

In the afternoon, Sethi's car was behind the bus of G D Goenka World School at MG Road here and and though the car driver had maintained a distance from the bus, the driver of the offending vehicle suddenly applied brakes.

The bus was stopped in a rash and negligent manner due to which the car rammed into it and Sethi sustained serious head injuries, the family said, adding that he was rushed to a hospital where he was declared brought dead by the doctors.
The bus driver claimed that the accident occurred due to negligence of the car driver.

The tribunal, however, rejected his contention.