Future-loss compensation must use the prescribed accident-year notional income and the established disability percentage.

The claimant sought compensation for injuries sustained in a road accident on 18 June 2025, allegedly caused by the rash and negligent driving of a car.

The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal awarded ₹4,78,310 with interest at 6% per annum, including compensation for pain and suffering, disability, medical expenses, incidental charges, loss of amenities, and loss of income during treatment.

The claimant appealed under Section 173(1) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, seeking enhancement.

Section 173(1) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 provides for an appeal against an award of the Claims Tribunal.

In assessing compensation for loss of future earning capacity, the Court applied the annual-income × multiplier × disability-percentage method, using the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority’s notional monthly income of ₹18,000 for accidents in 2025 and a multiplier of 17 for the claimant’s age as treated by the Tribunal.

No precedent was cited.

The Court retained the Tribunal’s assessment of 10% whole-body disability, based on the doctor’s assessment of 30% disability to the lower limb, and its application of multiplier 17. It substituted the 2025 notional monthly income of ₹18,000 for ₹17,000, resulting in future-earnings compensation of ₹3,67,200.

In view of the claimant’s fractures of the right distal radius and ulna, it increased compensation for pain and suffering to ₹80,000 and loss of amenities to ₹60,000. It also allowed ₹36,000 for two months’ loss of income during recovery, while leaving medical expenses and incidental charges unchanged.

The claimant was awarded an additional ₹1,41,400 with interest at 6% per annum from the date of the petition until realization. The insurer was directed to deposit the enhanced amount with interest before the Tribunal within six weeks, and the claimant was permitted to withdraw the entire enhanced amount.