Thane MACT Awards Rs 76.43 Lakh to Mother of Techie Killed in Expressway Crash
The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) in Thane has awarded ₹76.43 lakh in compensation to the mother of a 27-year-old software engineer who died in a road accident on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway in December 2018. MACT Member R.V. Mohite directed The New India Assurance Company Ltd. to pay the compensation with nine percent annual interest, ruling on a case involving a fatal rear-end collision near Tembari village in Raigad district.
The deceased, Challapalli Lekhi Chaitanya, was employed with Hexaware Technologies Ltd. in Navi Mumbai, earning a monthly salary of approximately ₹71,179. On December 24, 2018, Chaitanya was driving on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway when a container truck travelling ahead of him applied sudden brakes and came to an abrupt halt. Chaitanya’s car crashed into the rear of the vehicle, resulting in his death and the death of his co-passenger at the scene.
While the tribunal held the container driver largely responsible for the accident, it also established contributory negligence on the part of the deceased. The tribunal observed that police investigations and the subsequent chargesheet proved the container driver was negligent for braking suddenly without warning.
However, Member Mohite noted that motorists must maintain a sufficient gap from the vehicles ahead of them to prevent such collisions. Because Chaitanya failed to maintain a safe distance, the tribunal attributed 15 percent contributory negligence to him, while assigning 85 percent liability to the container driver.
Initially, the tribunal calculated the total compensation at ₹89.91 lakh after assessing Chaitanya's income, future earning prospects, and other conventional heads. This amount was subsequently reduced to ₹76.43 lakh to account for the 15 percent contributory negligence.
During the proceedings, it was revealed that the container truck did not possess a valid permit or a fitness certificate on the date of the accident. The tribunal determined this was a breach of the insurance policy conditions.
Despite the policy violation, the tribunal applied settled legal principles governing third-party claims. It directed The New India Assurance Company Ltd. to satisfy the award first and granted the insurer the liberty to recover the paid amount from the container's owner through appropriate legal proceedings.
