Road accident victim's family gets over Rs 14 L compensation

A Motor Accident Claims Tribunal has awarded over Rs 14 lakh compensation to the family members of a 25-year-old woman who was run over by a speeding truck driven by a "negligent" driver in 2007.
The tribunal directed Reliance General Insurance Company, insurer of the offending truck, to pay a compensation of Rs 14.23 lakh to the husband and a minor kid of Sonika, for her "untimely" death.
MACT presiding officer Barkha Gupta said that the driver drove the vehicle at a high speed and hit Sonika who was crossing the road, resulting in her death.
While awarding the compensation, the tribunal relied on the testimony of the police constable on duty who was an eyewitness and had arrested the accused driver.

It said the testimony of the eyewitness was sufficient to show that "the driver had driven the offending vehicle in a rash and negligent manner and hit Sonika" resulting in her death.
It also noted that Sonika's post-mortem report stated that she had died on the spot due to injuries sustained in the accident.

According to the petition of the victim's family members, Sonika, who was working as a pharmacist with BHEL Hospital in Naraina Vihar, was crossing road at Britannia Chowk-Lawrence Road area on the morning of September 22, 2007, when the speeding truck jumped the red light and hit her.

The truck dragged her for about 15-20 feet after which one of its wheels ran over her, the petition said, adding that she was taken to BJRM Hospital here where she was declared brought by the doctors.
The driver tried to flee but was chased and nabbed by a constable who was an eyewitness to the accident, it said.
Sonika, who was drawing a salary of Rs 9,000 per month, was living in Najafgarh area in the capital due to work while her family was living in Rohtak.
The insurance company filed a written statement saying that the compensation amount claimed by Sonika's husband Sunil was quite exorbitant.

The driver, in his defence, claimed that if the woman had sustained any injuries, it was due to her own carelessness and negligence in crossing the road.
The tribunal, however, rejected the contentions of the truck driver and the insurance company, saying, "It has come on record that at the relevant time Sonika was sufficiently cautious in crossing the road as she was crossing from Zebra Crossing and it was the driver, who by jumping the said red light had caused the accident.