Crash Victim With 80% Permanent Disability Gets Rs 50,000 More For Future Treatment From Chhattisgarh HC

Amit Lahre, injured in a road accident on 27 August 2022, sustained a head injury resulting in paraplegia and 80% permanent disability.

The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal awarded him ₹32,81,873, but made no award for future medical expenses.

Lahre appealed under Section 173 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, limiting his challenge to that omission and seeking additional compensation for future treatment.

The medical evidence included a disability certificate and records of his treatment at several hospitals; the doctor who examined him confirmed his permanent disability and inability to move and walk.

Section 173 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 provides for an appeal against an award of the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal.

The Court applied the principle that compensation for future treatment may be awarded where the medical evidence, nature of the injury, and treatment records support a continuing need for care.

No precedent was cited.

The doctor’s evidence and the Medical Board’s certificate established the claimant’s 80% permanent disability, while the medical records documented extensive treatment following the accident.

The claimant’s severe physical limitations and the nature of his neurological injury supported the conclusion that further treatment could not be ruled out.

Because the Tribunal had awarded nothing under this head, the Court considered an additional award appropriate.

The remainder of the Tribunal’s award and its conditions remained unchanged.