Thane tribunal awards Rs 15.91 lakh to kin of man who died in accident involving MSRTC bus

THANE: A Motor Accident Claims Tribunal in Thane awarded Rs 15.91 lakh as compensation to the family of a 22-year-old man who died in a road accident involving a state transport bus in July 2021.
Tribunal Member S.N. Shah ruled that the accident occurred due to negligent driving by the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus driver. The accident took place on July 21, 2021, near Gaodevi Temple in Pargaon village on the Varai-Saphale road.
According to the court, the fatal collision occurred around 7.30 am when Vijay was riding his motorcycle from Varai toward Saphale. The MSRTC bus coming from the opposite direction reportedly lost control, veered to the extreme wrong side of the road, and collided with Vijay's motorcycle. Despite being rushed to PHC Civil Hospital in Saphale, he succumbed to his injuries the same day.
In his ruling, Tribunal Member Shah noted significant inconsistencies in the defence presented by MSRTC. The judge observed that while the bus driver claimed heavy rain and the victim's attempt to overtake from the wrong side led to the accident, no tyre marks were found at the scene to support this theory.
"Considering the size of the offending vehicle, its driver seat is at a considerable height, from where its driver can clearly see the front side of the road and vehicles coming from a considerable distance," the judgment stated.
The tribunal rejected MSRTC's claims, noting that the driver testified to seeing the motorcyclist from 30-35 feet away, which should have given him sufficient time to avoid the collision.
The petition was filed by the deceased's kin, who mentioned that the deceased was employed as a janitor with a private company, earning approximately Rs 10,059 per month at the time of his death. The compensation includes amounts for loss of future dependency, future income prospects, loss of estate, funeral expenses, and filial consortium.
The amount will be distributed with Rs 5.91 lakh going to the mother, Rs 4 lakh to the sister, and an additional Rs 6 lakh placed in a fixed deposit for the minor sister for a period of five years, with 8% annual interest from the date of filing the petition.