The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT), Panchkula, has awarded ₹11.9 lakh compensation, along with 7.5% annual interest, to the family of 64-year-old Suresh Kumar, who died after being hit by a rashly driven goods vehicle in Bathinda in November 2024. The award was passed by MACT presiding officer Sanjay Sandhir on July 13.The tribunal rejected the insurance company’s objections regarding the delay in registration of the FIR, observing that the delay had been satisfactorily explained. (HT File)According to the tribunal, Suresh Kumar sustained grievous injuries after being struck by a Tata goods carrier outside Royal Plaza Palace in Goniana Mandi, Bathinda, on November 27, 2024. He had gone there to attend his nephew’s wedding and was waiting outside the venue when the accident occurred. He was initially treated at hospitals in Bathinda before being shifted to Ojas Hospital, a private hospital in Panchkula, followed by Civil Hospital, Sector 6, Panchkula, and later GMCH-32, Chandigarh, where he succumbed to his injuries.The tribunal rejected the insurance company’s objections regarding the delay in registration of the FIR, observing that the delay had been satisfactorily explained. It also held that the driver and owner failed to rebut the claimants’ evidence, establishing rash and negligent driving.Although the family claimed that the deceased earned ₹40,000 per month as a supervisor with a private firm in Solan, the tribunal found insufficient documentary proof and assessed his income on the basis of DC rates for an unskilled labourer.The compensation includes loss of dependency, consortium, medical expenses, funeral expenses and loss of estate. The tribunal directed the insurance company to pay the compensation, with 40% to the widow and 20% each to the deceased’s three children.