An Indian woman, a road accident victim, wins 550,000 Dirham compensation from Dubai Courts

Dubai: An Indian expat who was injured in a road accident in 2017 was awarded Dh550,000 in compensation by Dubai Courts last week.

Twenty-nine-year-old Sindhu Dhanaraj, who hails from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, met with an accident on June 4 on Dubai Emirates road. She was hospitalised for a month and had to be put on home rest for the next three months or so. In that time she lost her job in Dubai.

The tragedy

Dhanaraj, who worked as an IT professional in Dubai before the accident, was part of a six-vehicle pile up on the fateful day and was seriously injured in the accident along with the three other passengers in the vehicle she was travelling in. All four were admitted to the Rashid Hospital in Dubai where they received treatment.

Speaking to Gulf News from India, Dhanaraj said her face was particularly affected following the accident. “My left eye-lid is slightly more closed than the other. Also my left-side of the face is [swollen]. After the accident I don’t feel like taking my photos at all.”

Last week, Dubai Courts awarded Dhanaraj a compensation of Dh550,000, which translates to Indian Rs10.7 million.

“Earlier, the driver of the vehicle responsible for the accident was found guilty by the Dubai Courts. He was however, released on a fine of Dh1,000. But I approached a lawyer for compensation. The matter was taken up in higher courts and the judgement was passed in my favour.”

“An initial offer was made which was not sufficient. The Court of Appeal at Dubai Courts upheld the complaint and said the injury was serious and the amount of compensation was inadequate. We, her lawyers, further argued that the medical report showed a considerable amount of distress caused to her following the accident,” explained Salam Papinissery, Dhanaraj’s lawyer.