High Court raises accident victim’s aid by Rs 1 crore

By LE Desk

Madurai, April 12: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court recently enhanced the compensation awarded by a Motor Accident Tribunal of Pudukkottai to a woman by Rs 1 crore. The woman had suffered 100 per cent permanent disability in an accident in 2013.

The woman, M Sri Vidhya, stated in her petition that she met with an accident on February 24, 2013 after a tanker lorry rammed her car. She suffered a severe spinal cord injury, which left her immobile (below the hip) and dependent on others for day-to-day activities.

Though the tribunal had awarded her Rs 2 crore as compensation in 2017, Vidhya approached the High Court Bench to enhance the compensation amount. A division bench of Justices Pushpa Sathyanarayana and S Kannammal enhanced compensation and dismissed the appeal filed by the insurance company, The New Indian Express reported.

The insurance company had objected to raising the compensation, claiming that Sri Vidhya was working in Singapore and the tribunal should consider the uncertainty of her overseas job while estimating her income. However, the judges rejected the submissions.

The judges further noted that the tribunal failed to award any amount towards future prospects of income and enhanced her notional monthly income from Rs 1.7 lakh to Rs 2.38 lakh. Also increasing the amount calculated towards pain and sufferings, inconvenience and attendant charges, the judges directed the company to pay Rs 3.09 crore to Vidhya within eight weeks.

https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2021/apr/12/court-raises-accident-victims-aid-by-rs-1-crore-2288851.html