MUMBAI: In two instances where those on duty — a traffic cop and a pizza delivery boy — lost their lives in vehicle accidents, Motor Accident Claims Tribunal awarded compensation of Rs49 lakh to and Rs16 lakh respectively. The 52-year-old cop was killed in 2015 by an errant biker at a signal he was manning. The 20-year-old delivery boy died the same year when a civic body dumper truck rammed into him when on his way to deliver a pizza. While the cop was earning a monthly salary of Rs35,000, the delivery boy earned Rs6,000 a month.
The wife and son of the cop, Nitin Parab, moved the tribunal in March 2016 against the biker owner, Bipad Ash, and Iffco Tokio Gen Ins Co Ltd. They said on January 2, 2016, at around 8.30pm he was manning traffic at a signal at Char Raasta, Matunga, suddenly a speeding motorcycle came, jumped the signal and rashly and negligently dashed him.
The family said Parab succumbed to injuries three days later. They said that at the time of his death Parab was serving as traffic head constable, Mumbai Police. They sought a compensation of Rs35 lakh.
The tribunal held that the family’s plea was supported by police papers and the cause of death certificate. An eye-witness, Parab’s colleague, also deposed. He said that despite him raising his hand, asking the biker to stop, he refused. The cop said that the accident occurred due to the biker’s negligence. The tribunal relied on his evidence. It ordered the insurance company and the bike owner to pay the compensation amount jointly.
The parents and brother of the delivery boy, Azad Kewat, submitted their claim in January 2016 against the executive engineer (transport city). They said that he was working at a prominent pizza chain. On September 11, 2015, at 4:40pm the deceased, when he was going to deliver the pizza on his motorcycle at Sion Koliwada, a dumper came in fast and negligently and rammed into him. Azad was taken to Sion Hospital, where he died during treatment that day.
The family claimed a compensation of Rs30 lakh. Relying on the documents and police papers, the tribunal held the driver of the dumper negligent. The tribunal, however, did not find evidence that showed the victim held two jobs and earned around Rs14,000 per month. It pegged his notional income at Rs6,000.
