Fatal Complications: Court Links 2014 Accident to 2020 Death

A significant ruling by a Motor Accident Claims Tribunal in Mumbai has established that a death occurring six years after a motor vehicular accident can be attributed to the original incident. The tribunal awarded a total compensation of approximately Rs 61.1 lakh, including interest, to the family of Ashish Gupta, a 38-year-old security supervisor.

Gupta had suffered severe leg injuries in 2014 when a private cab collided with his two-wheeler. He died in July 2020 from persistent infections directly linked to these injuries, as confirmed by medical records and expert testimony.

The tribunal emphasized a continuous chain of treatment, infection, and complications arising from the initial injury. Medical records from BYL Nair Hospital, where Gupta was admitted for an extended period following the accident, detailed multiple reconstructive surgeries and ongoing issues.

Rejecting the insurer's argument that the nearly six-year gap between the accident and death invalidated the claim, the tribunal cited the orthopaedic surgeon's testimony. The surgeon affirmed that a terminal cardiac arrest was a result of septicaemia originating from the accident-related injuries, thus bridging the time interval.

Gupta had initiated the compensation claim in 2018. Following his death, his family amended the petition, successfully arguing that the accident was the ultimate cause of his demise, despite the insurer's objections regarding the death certificate and lack of a post-mortem.