Chandigarh: Driver directed to pay Rs 15 lakh to the family of accident victim

Chandigarh: The Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal, Chandigarh has directed an insurance company, a car driver and the owner of the vehicle to pay a compensation of Rs 15.36 lakh to the son and two daughters of a woman who died in an accident three years ago. Munish Handa, a resident of Sector 5, Panchkula, in a claim petition filed under Section 166 of the Motor Vehicles Act, said that on February 13, 2021, his mother Shobha Rani along with other family members had gone to visit her brother-in-law at his house in Faridabad. When Shobha Rani and other family members were coming to Panchkula, a WagonR car coming at a high speed hit them. The car driver was drunk along with his friends. Shobha fell on the road due to the collision of the car and suffered multiple injuries on her body. She was rushed to a private hospital in Faridabad. After first aid, she was referred to another hospital, where she died during treatment. Munish Handa said that his mother was 71 years old and had retired from the post of restorer from the Punjab and Haryana High Court. At the time of her death, she was getting a pension of Rs 12,997 per month. Apart from this, she was also getting a family pension of Rs 10,674 after the death of her husband. Handa has sought compensation of Rs 50 lakh along with interest at the rate of 18 per cent per annum from the date of filing the claim petition till recovery. At the same time, the driver denied the allegations and said that no such accident took place. After hearing the arguments, the tribunal said that the claimant along with other legal heirs of the deceased is entitled to get compensation of Rs 15.36 lakh. The tribunal said that the driver, owner and insurance company are all liable to pay compensation.