Insurance firm told to pay Rs 69L to family of accident victim

CHENNAI: Seven years after the death of a 34-year-old techie in an accident near the Perungalathur signal, a motor accident claim tribunal directed a private insurance firm to provide a compensation of Rs 69.55 lakh to the family.  

According to the petition submitted by T Gayathri, wife of S Sugumaran, he was driving his bike along the GST road near Perungalathur on October 9, 2012, when a Haryana-based lorry hit his vehicle and three others. Sugumaran succumbed at a private hospital. Sugumaran was the sole breadwinner of the family, Gayathri said, adding that the accident was caused by the negligence of the driver and so, Reliance General Insurance Company Limited, insurer of the lorry, was liable to pay a compensation of `1.20 crore.

Denying the allegation, the insurance firm said it was Sugumaran who was responsible for the reckless driving. The tribunal headed by S Umamaheshwari observed that the accident was due to the rash driving of the lorry driver who was also holding a fake licence.