Uninsured vehicle's former, new owners liable to pay damages

A motor accident claims tribunal has held both the original owner and a subsequent buyer of an uninsured vehicle involved in an accident liable to pay compensation to the victim.

Tribunal presiding officer B S Chumbak told original owner Gurmeet Singh and used vehicle buyer Brij Nandan Gupta to pay nearly Rs 3.5 lakh to an east Delhi woman injured in an accident involving the uninsured vehicle.

“The vehicle was not insured, and Singh being the registered owner of the vehicle and Gupta being the purchaser, shall be liable to pay compensation to Pushpa Rani,” the tribunal said.

Accident compensation is usually paid by the insurance firm if the vehicle is insured.
Karkardooma resident Pushpa Rani said a rashly-driven Tavera SUV hit her cyclerickshaw while she was returning home from a nearby clinic on June 8, 2010.

The rickshaw overturned and she fell on the road. She was taken to hospital, where she was diagnosed to have sustained multiple fractures.

Gupta, who was driving the vehicle, told the tribunal that he had bought the SUV from Singh.

He said the rickshaw-puller had crossed the road when the traffic light was still red, leading to the collision. But the tribunal rejected his argument.