Tribunal awards Rs 1.80 crore to heirs of couple killed in 2018 Mumbai-Pune Expressway crash

The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) has ordered compensation of Rs 1.80 crore in total to the heirs of a husband and wife who died in an accident on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway in 2018.

The accident took place on December 23, 2018. A car driven by Ankit Bhupindersingh Chugh rammed into the back of a truck. The truck is said to have braked at that moment. After the collision, the Wagon R car was dragged for more than a kilometre. Ankit Chugh, his wife Sanjana and their two minor children were in the car. Ankit and Sanjana later died at the rural hospital in Panvel.

In her order dated October 29, tribunal member Gauri Kawdikar said it is the responsibility of every driver to keep a safe distance from the vehicle ahead. According to the order, if the vehicle in front brakes suddenly, the one behind cannot automatically be held at fault. But the order also said that had a safe distance been kept and the car's speed been under control, the driver could have braked in time and avoided the collision.

On this basis, the tribunal held Ankit Chugh liable for "70 per cent contributory negligence". The truck driver was assigned "30 per cent responsibility" for fast and negligent driving.

During the hearing, the insurance company argued that the truck's permit was valid only for Rajasthan and Gujarat and had not been extended to Maharashtra, though the accident happened in Maharashtra. Even so, the MACT ruled that the insurer must first pay the compensation to the claimants. The tribunal also allowed the company to recover the same amount from the truck's owner later.

In fixing the compensation, the tribunal took both victims' incomes into account. Sanjana Chugh worked at Samsidh Mount Litera Zee School, while Ankit Chugh was a senior delivery specialist at Dell International Services.

The claimants are to be paid Rs 1.80 crore in all. This includes Rs 92,53,500 for Sanjana's death and Rs 88,45,732 for Ankit Chugh's death.