MACT puts onus on driver, gives Rs 5L as damages to victim's family

NEW DELHI: A Motor Accident Claim Tribunal has awarded Rs 5.75 lakh as compensation to the family of a woman, who was crushed to death by a rashly driven crane near Ghazipur traffic intersection in east Delhi.
Holding it to be the driver's duty to take care of persons crossing roads, the court said "It is the duty of the driver, driving the heavy vehicles, to take care of the persons crossing the road.It can be easily inferred that if the speed of the offending vehicle (crane) had been slow, the driver of the crane might have applied brakes in time and could have avoided the accident."
MACT judge Arvind Kumar granted the compensation to the family of victim Manju Pandey, who was hit by a crane on October 9, 2009, and succumbed to her injuries the same day. The court awarded the compensation after holding as "not trustworthy" the account of the eyewitnesses that Manju was crossing the road carelessly and though the driver of the crane wanted to save her, accident was caused because of her negligence.
On the fateful day, the accident occurred when Manju and her husband Ashok Kumar Pandey were going to Patparganj Industrial Area. As they reached Ghazipur traffic intersection and were crossing the road, the crane coming from the Ghazipur village side hit Manju, injuring her seriously.
She was rushed to nearby Dr Hedgewar Arogya Sanstan where she succumbed to her injuries. She is survived by her husband and two daughters.
The insurance company concerned was asked to pay the amount with interest in one month from the date of the order.