An Additional Sessions Court in Madurai has ordered Oriental Insurance Company Limited to pay a compensation of Rs. 8, 23,000 to two minor children and the widowed mother of a 29-year-old woman, who died after falling off a two wheeler her husband was riding in 2011. The mother of the deceased woman had moved the court accusing her son-in-law of negligent and rash driving.
P. Dhanalakshmi (29), a resident of Indira Nagar in Madurai was riding pillion on a two-wheeler along with her husband J. Pandiarajan on July 3, 2011 when the accident happened.
The couple were proceeding from their home to Munichalai to attend a family function, but Dhanalakshmi fell off the two wheeler and sustained head injuries after Pandiarajan applied a sudden brake near AV Bridge in Goripalayam.
She later succumbed to injuries after being treated at Government Rajaji Hospital for a day.
Tallakulam police after registering a case found out that the bike the couple were riding was registered in the name of N. Mathan, one of Pandiarajan's friends. A criminal case was registered by Tallakulam police and the case is pending at the court of Judicial Magistrate II.
Alleging that Dhanalakshmi died because of Pandiarajan’s negligent and rash driving, R. Panneer Selvi, Dhanalakshmi's mother filed a Motor Vehicle Accident Claims Original Petition (MCOP) at the court, in which she sought a compensation of Rs. 10 lakh. She said Uma Maheswari and Malathi, the minor daughters of Dhanalakshmi are entitled for the compensation under Rule 24 (1) of Tamil Nadu Motor Accidents Claims Rules.
According to Panneer Selvi, Dhanalakshmi earned Rs. 9000 every month as a wholesale vegetable vendor. The family mainly depended on Dhanalakshmi's income, she further said. Judge C. Kumarappan at the Fourth Additional Sessions Court directed Oriental Insurance Limited to pay Rs 3,86,500 to each of the minor children and Rs 50,000 to the deceased woman’s mother.
