Bombay HC Enhances Award for Teacher's Accident Injuries

Fourteen years after a serious accident left a Mumbai school teacher with life-altering facial injuries, the Bombay High Court has significantly enhanced her compensation. The court awarded a total of ₹11 lakh, an increase of ₹1.06 lakh from the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal's initial ₹9.94 lakh. The decision, made on June 24, 2026, recognized that the disfigurement sustained in the August 8, 2012, incident may have contributed to her divorce granted in 2014.

The accident occurred when a speeding ambulance executed a sudden, rash U-turn and collided with the teacher's car near CSMT. The collision resulted in severe degloving facial injuries and multiple fractures, leading to a 35% disability. The teacher endured skin grafting and plastic surgery, experiencing difficulty with basic functions like opening her eye and eating. She remained on leave for nearly five months, facing challenges with smiling and yawning.

While the tribunal had previously declined to link the divorce to the facial injuries due to lack of evidence, Justice Jitendra Jain of the Bombay High Court took a different view. The court noted that the divorce by mutual consent, occurring two years after the accident, suggested the crash played a role in the marital breakdown. Reliance General Insurance Company, the ambulance's insurer, has been directed to pay the enhanced compensation within four weeks.