Pune: A Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) in the city has granted Rs 27.85 lakh compensation to a B.Tech student seriously injured in an accident when a truck hit his vehicle from behind. The tribunal held that the truck driver was solely responsible for the accident.MACT member B D Kulkarni cited the absence of permit and fitness documents of the truckand the truck owner’s failure to contest the case and directed the insurer to pay the compensation to the accident victim and recover the same later from the vehicle owner.The petition seeking a compensation of Rs 50L was filed by a 23-year-old mechanical engineering graduate who sustained injuries in an accident on Oct 21, 2022, near Chandani Chowk on the Mumbai-Bangalore highway. According to the case, the applicant was riding his motorcycle when a truck coming from behind dashed into it. Relying on police papers and spot panchanama, the tribunal held that the rear-end collision established negligence on part of the truck driver. It rejected the insurer’s contention regarding absence of a helmet, noting that it did not justify the truck hitting the motorcycle from behind.Medical evidence showed that the applicant suffered multiple fractures in the leg and was assessed to have 41% permanent physical disability affecting mobility. In absence of proof of income, the tribunal assessed a notional monthly income of Rs 15,000. It also held that mediclaim reimbursement could not be deducted from compensation and directed payment with 7% interest from the date of filing till realisation.The tribunal rejected the claim that the accident affected his plans to study in the UK, noting that the offer had not been accepted before the accident.
