CHENNAI: Five years after two men were mowed down by a lorry, their families were awarded Rs 32.08 lakh compensation by a Motor Accident Claims Tribunal here. The deceased, Jagadeesan and Asokan, were riding a motorbike near Chengalpattu on April 9, 2013, when the lorry driven by one J Govindasamy, hit them and ran over them, killing both the men on the spot.
Their families filed petitions seeking compensation from Govindasamy or the Reliance General Company Insurance Limited, with which Govindasamy had insured his lorry. The counsel for the families argued that it was due to the negligence of the driver they had lost their sole breadwinners. The insurance company’s counsel argued that it was rash riding by Jagadeesan that resulted in the accident.
However, the tribunal headed by P Revathy, based on documents, said the lorry driver was driving rashly and in a negligent manner.Asokan was aged 29 at the time of death and was working as a mason. The tribunal arrived at a notional monthly income of `8,000 and based on it, his family was awarded a compensation of Rs 19.38 lakh.Jagadeesan was aged 45 and earning around Rs 15,000 per month through a business. Based on this, the tribunal awarded a compensation of Rs 12.70 lakh to his family.