MADURAI:A 69-year-old bed-ridden accident victim was forced to travel nearly 200 km from Tirunelveli in an ambulance to collect his insurance amount. The insurance company had insisted to do it.
Laxmanan bore the pain and travelled to the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Saturday to avail the insurance amount of Rs 14.75 lakh after the appellant, United India Insurance Company Limited, insisted that it had to physically verify his details for paying the amount.
Laxmanan, who found it hard to even speak properly, was seen waiting outside the court (VIII) hall on a stretcher along with his son Muthuraj and advocates S Ganesan and A Muthu Isakki for 15 minutes before Justice Vimala called them inside.
Though the case was scheduled for hearing as the 104th item, Justice Vimala put it as the first item on humanitarian grounds. When she attempted to speak to Laxmanan, he couldn’t reply. On observing this, she immediately asked the insurance firm to hand over the cheque without asking questions.
Laxmanan, a road contractor from Nanguneri taluk, Tirunelveli district, met with a road accident in 2007. “Though we immediately filed the police complaint after the accident, we could file a petition in court only in April because my father’s life was in danger,” said Muthuraj, who quit his librarian job to take care of his father.
The sub court awarded Rs 15,13,542 as compensation with interest at the rate of 9 per cent per annum in April 2011. “The company assured three times that they would visit Laxmanan for verification, but they didn’t,” said Muthu.
When the case was referred to Lok Adalat on December 6, the company agreed to pay Rs 14.75 lakh with interest of 7.5 per cent per annum. However, the chief regional manager of the company insisted that Laxmanan be physically verified in court, which was why he was brought.