The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) in Thane has awarded a compensation of ₹18.6 lakh to a 61-year-old garden labourer who suffered life-altering injuries in a 2021 road accident on the Mumbai-Goa highway.
The tribunal, presided over by member R.V. Mohite, held the driver of the offending tanker solely responsible for the collision. The order, passed on August 20, was made available on Monday.
The victim, Dilip Dattu Parbalkar, then 57, was riding pillion on a motorcycle driven by his son-in-law when a speeding tanker hit their two-wheeler near Panvel on April 14, 2021. Parbalkar sustained serious injuries, including a 45 per cent permanent partial disability in his left hand, as noted in his claim petition.
While the tanker’s owner and driver argued that the motorcyclist was at fault, the tribunal rejected their claims, finding them contradictory and unreliable. It also noted that the tanker driver did not possess a valid licence to transport hazardous goods.
“The evidence of the driver of the offending vehicle is not reliable and trustworthy. There is nothing on record to show any contributory negligence on the part of the claimant,” the tribunal observed.
It emphasised that Parbalkar’s work as a gardener required the use of his hands and, owing to the injuries, he could no longer continue his job. His functional disability was therefore assessed as 100 per cent, despite the medical assessment of 45 per cent physical disability.
The MACT awarded ₹18,60,969 to Parbalkar, with 9 per cent annual interest from the date of filing the petition until realisation of the amount. The insurer of the tanker was directed to pay the sum initially and recover it later from the vehicle’s owner.
In a separate claim arising from the same accident, the tribunal also granted ₹72.04 lakh compensation to the family of Parbalkar’s son-in-law, who succumbed to his injuries in the crash.
