A Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) has ordered a compensation of over Rs. 49 lakhs to the widow and son of a 52-year-old traffic head constable who lost his life in 2016 three days after a speeding biker hit him when he had tried to stop the two wheeler.
A colleague of the deceased Nitin Parab, who had witnessed the incident from close quarters testified before the tribunal. He had told the tribunal that on the fateful day of Jan 2, 2016, around 8 pm, they had received a call from their senior that there was traffic at RAK Road near SNDT College, Matunga and he was managing traffic there. He said after half an hour three more traffic police, including the victim Parab, had arrived at the spot on motorcycle. He said Parab was crossing the road, when a speeding motorcycle - at an approximate speed of 60 to 70 km per hour, hit him though Parab signalled the rider to stop. The traffic policeman had said that the accident had occured due to the negligence of the biker.
Tribunal member SB Munde noted that on the date of the accident the deceased was 52 years old and had a permanent job with a monthly income of around Rs. 35,000. It accordingly calculated the compensation amount.
The bike owner Bipad Ash had been served a notice, but did not appear before the tribunal. The order of July 5, was passed ex-parte against him. The insurance company Iffco Tokio General Insurance Co. Pvt. Ltd. had opposed the compensation plea. It had contended that the rider Vinod Kadlak did not possess a valid licence at the time of the incident and also denied the age, occupation of Parab and other submissions by his kin. The tribunal did not accept this argument as it said the insurance firm did not produce any evidence to prove these claims.
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