NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, MARCH 7
Accident claims tribunal in the city has reduced the total compensation by 40 % for injuries sustained by a teenager after he slipped from footboard and fell off an MTC bus. The tribunal held that the negligence of the boy was also responsible for the accident.
According to petitioner T Arun from Vysarpadi, he was travelling in an MTC bus from Kannigapuram to Vysarpadi when he met with the accident on February 24, 2011. He was 14 years old at the time of the accident.
Arun claimed that the bus halted at Vysarpadi and when he tried to alight, the driver steered the vehicle without any concern for passengers alighting from the vehicle, leading to his fall and injuries.
In response, the transport corporation submitted that the bus driver was driving at a moderate speed and many school students, including the petitioner, were travelling footboard on the day of the accident.
“They indulged in negligence despite repeated requests from bus crew and passengers,” counsel for MTC submitted, while adding that one of the students attempted to alight from the bus while it was moving near Vyasarpadi bus depot. In the process, he fell and sustained injuries.
MTC stated that the same was mentioned in the FIR too. The tribunal noted that the petitioner had suffered injuries on his right foot resulting in a partial permanent disability of 35%.
The tribunal held that the petitioner had contributed to the accident and fixed 40 % contributory negligence on him. The tribunal arrived at a total compensation of Rs. 2.62 lakh, of which Rs.1.57 lakh will be paid to the petitioner.board
