Two accident victims get Rs 2.2 crore compensation

Two brothers, who lost their parents and an elder sister in a road mishap involving a rashly driven tanker in Uttar Pradesh 12 years ago, have been awarded a compensation of Rs 2.22 crore by a Motor Accident Claim Tribunal (MACT).

MACT presiding officer Anoop Kumar Mendiratta directed Oriental Insurance Company Ltd, with which the offending tanker was insured, to pay Rs 2,21,63,491 along with interest to Sandeep and Sumit Tomar, residents of Janakpuri in west Delhi, for death of their 47-year-old father Satyabir Singh Tomar in December 2004.

The tribunal held the driver of the rashly driven tanker responsible for the accident at Muzaffarnagar in UP leading to death of five persons, including the proprietor of Delhi-based M/s Tomar Construction Company Satyavir Singh Tomar. “Considering the fact that negligence is to be assessed on touchstone of preponderance of probability and a holistic view is to be taken, it has been established that the accident was caused due to rash and negligent driving of tanker by its driver,” the judge said.

The tribunal noted that one of them was forced to settle back in India instead of continuing further education or temporary job at Australia.