Vadodara: Nearly eight years after a fatal highway crash in Surendranagar district, the Vadodara Motor Accidents Claim Tribunal (MACT) has ordered compensation of Rs 55.42 lakh to the family of a 33-year-old school principal who died after his car hit a stationary truck whose parking lights were not turned on.The tribunal held the truck driver primarily responsible for the accident.The accident occurred in Sept 2016 in Limbdi taluka of Surendranagar district. Vipul Patel, a resident of Padra taluka in Vadodara, was driving on the highway with his friend Ketan Patel seated beside him when their car collided with a truck parked on the roadside.According to the case details, the truck driver, Deva Rabari, had parked the vehicle and not switched on its parking lights. The car crashed into the rear of the truck, leaving Vipul with severe injuries that proved fatal. Ketan sustained serious injuries in the incident.Vipul was serving as the principal of a primary school in Padra at the time of his death.After the accident, Vipul’s wife Apexa Patel and other family members filed a compensation claim of Rs 70 lakh against the truck driver, truck owner Arvind Jadeja and their insurer, HDFC Ergo General Insurance Company Ltd. Ketan Patel also filed a separate claim for injuries suffered in the accident.The respondents argued that the truck had been parked within the compound of a eatery and the driver had gone for refreshments, saying there was no need to keep the parking lights on.After examining the evidence, the tribunal concluded that the truck driver bore most of the responsibility for the accident. It directed the truck owner and insurance company to jointly pay Rs 55.42 lakh with 9% interest per annum to the deceased’s family.The tribunal also awarded Rs 1.75 lakh in compensation to Ketan Patel for injuries suffered.
