Judicial Magistrate First Class, Mapusa, acquitted Gopal Shetty (54), a truck driver from Udupi, Karnataka in a case of fatal road accident of August 2014 at Colvale junction.
PANAJI
Mapusa Police Station had filed a charge sheet against Shetty stating that on August 21, 2014 at about 8 am, he drove a truck in a rash and negligent manner while proceeding from Mapusa to Pernem and on reaching Chicalim-Colvale junction, dashed a scooter, proceeding from Colvale to Chicalim. The scooterist was attempting to cross NH 17. The rider Dyaneshwar Parab from Revora suffered head injuries and died on the spot while the pillion rider Kavita Gawas sustained grievous injuries. Both were employees at Toyota workshop at Colvale.
Prosecution examined three witnesses in support and Adv R Gaonkar represented the accused under Free Legal Aid Cell.
It was established that the truck was facing Pernem, and that the vehicle had suffered damage on the bumper and the radiator.
In her statement,Kavita stated that Parab had stopped the bike at the junction. However, she said that she merely saw the truck approaching the bike and that after impact, she lost consciousness. She was shifted to GMC Bambolim and regained consciousness after two days. Gawas fractured both her legs and couldn’t walk without support.
She lost her job following the accident.
In the judgment, the Court observed that the evidence on record does not prove that it was the accused, who drove the truck in a rash and negligent manner thereby causing the accident.
The driver, in his defence, stated that the accident occurred due to the fault and negligence of the scooter rider which suddenly came onto the national highway.
