Parents of boy killed in accident get Rs 5 lakh compensation

The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) here has awarded a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the parents of a class 3 student who was mowed down by a speeding truck in 2016.
MACT member and district judge K D Vadane ordered the truck owner and the vehicle's insurer to jointly and severally make the payment to the boy's parents along with an interest at 8 per cent per annum from the date of filing of the claim.
The claimants, Sunil Sukhdeo Rathod (35) and his wife Bharthi Sunil Rathod (30), residents of Vitawa area in the Kalwa township here, told the tribunal that their son Ajit Rathod, then aged 9, was walking with other children when a speeding truck mowed him down on Vajreshwari-Ambadi road on October 29, 2016.

The boy died of multiple injuries sustained in the mishap.
The parents informed the tribunal that their son was a bright student and his death was a great loss to them.
They filed a claim of Rs 7 lakh from the owner of the truck and its insurance company.

The truck owner and the New India Assurance Company Limited contested the claim.
However, MACT member Vadane observed that the driver drove the truck in high speed, and in a rash and negligent manner, as a result of which the vehicle hit the boy.
He said the opponents have not examined any eyewitness of the accident, including the truck driver.

Therefore, in the absence ofany rebuttal evidence, the contention of applicants which is corroborated by the police papers on record appears to be trustworthy, he said.
Holding the vehicle owner responsible for the tortious act of the driver, the tribunal, in an order issued last week, asked both the opponents to pay Rs 5 lakh to the boy's parents.