Couple gets Rs 26 lakh as accident compensation

A former employee of Abu Dabhi Airport and his wife, who were injured in a road accident in 2012, have been awarded a collective compensation of around Rs 26 lakh by the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) here.
The couple had demanded Rs 1 crore compensation each after suffering disability due to the accident in Navi Mumbai.
In the order given two days back, member of the MACT, K D Vadane, directed the respondents- Popat Rokade, owner of a jeep involved in the accident, and New India Assurance Company, to jointly and severally pay the compensation to the couple.
The claimants- Yasin Abdul Hamid Mukadam (43) and his wife Shamim Mukadam (40), resided at CBD Belapur in Navi Mumbai.

Their counsel S Y Tawade told the MACT that the accident happened on the night of June 13, 2012, when the couple was going on the Vashi-Belapur Palm Beach road.
The jeep coming from Belapur took a sudden turn and hit the couple's bike. The impact was such that Mukadam and his wife were flung into air and fell on top of Rokade's vehicle. The couple sustained grievous injuries in the accident.

The couple told the tribunal they incurred huge medical expenses and had to remain away from work- temporarily or permanently- that led to huge financial losses.
Mukadam said at the time of accident he was earning (Arab Emirates Dirham 4,652) Rs 74,000 per month, while his wife, who was working with an infotech company in Worli, was earning Rs 1,15,460 per month.

While the husband left the job one year later, his wife continues to work in the same company, the tribunal was told.
The owner of the jeep was not represented and the case was decided ex-parte against him. Advocate A K Tiwari appeared for the insurance company and contested the claim saying the applicants had not produced the requisite documents to substantitate their claims.
While the husband was awarded a compensation of Rs 20,81,418, his wife was granted a sum of Rs 5,48,605.
The compensation includes, besides the main component, amount incurred for medical treatment and medicines, special diet, attendance, conveyance, pain and suffering, loss of amenities and expectation, future loss of income, injuries and disability caused to the applicants, the order said.