Road accident: Parents of victim get over Rs 15L compensation

Parents of a 22-year-old youth, who died in a road accident involving a rashly driven tractor, have been awarded a compensation of over Rs 15 lakh by a Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) here.
The tribunal directed Bharti Axa General Insurance Company Ltd, insurer of the offending vehicle, to pay Rs 15,80,532 as compensation to the parents of Bihar resident Prem Kumar Singh who died in an accident in April last year.
"It is clear that respondent no 1 (driver) was driving the vehicle in a rash and negligent manner.
"I award a sum of Rs 15,80,532 as compensation...In favour of the petitioners (Prem's parents) and against respondents (driver, owner and the vehicle's insurer company, on account of their liability being joint and several, MACT Presiding Officer Sanjeev Kumar Singh said.

According to the petition, on April 21, 2013, while Prem was going to his work place on a bicycle at Sector-18 Road, Gurgaon, a tractor driven in a rash and negligent manner hit him.
Due to the impact, Prem fell down on road and sustained head injury and died on the spot.

The victim's family members had approached the tribunal seeking Rs 25 lakh as compensation.
During the trial, the driver and owner of the bus had denied the rash and negligent aspect and also described the contents of the petition as false one.
The company, which had insured the vehicle contended that the driver of the tractor was not having a valid and effective driving license at the time of accident.

The court, however, rejected their contentions for making contradictory statements.