HYDERABAD: The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal, Hyderabad, has ordered a private insurance company, the owner of a hired bus and TGSRTC to pay Rs 16.33 lakh as compensation to a 50-year-old man who was rendered handicapped after being hit by an RTC bus.
The petitioner, Mohammed Sultan, told the tribunal that on September 17, 2017, he and his son were travelling in a car from Pahadi Shareef Dargah towards Shadnagar. Near Nandigama village in Kothur mandal, the driver of an
RTC hire bus allegedly came in the wrong direction and dashed into their car, causing multiple fractures and grievous injuries to Sultan, his son and the car driver.
Sultan stated that he spent over Rs 12 lakh on medical treatment. Due to the multiple and severe injuries, doctors issued him an Orthopedically Handicapped certificate.
The owner of the hire bus remained ex parte, and the case against the driver was abated in November 2018 following his death.
The tribunal observed that the accident was a head-on collision between the car and the hired RTC bus coming from the opposite direction. The evidence and police records established that the RTC bus was driven in a rash and negligent manner.
No contra-evidence was adduced by the respondents to prove that the accident occurred solely due to the negligence of the petitioner’s car driver. The court noted that merely because the criminal case against the RTC bus driver stood abated on account of his death, the civil liability of the respondent RTC bus owner does not cease.
After hearing the petition, the tribunal directed the hired RTC bus owner, Shriram General Insurance Company and TGSRTC to deposit the compensation amount before the court within one month from February 9. Upon such deposit, the injured is permitted to withdraw 50%, while the remaining 50% shall be kept in any nationalised bank as FDRs for a period of one year.