Dubai: A cook who became a quadriplegic following a car accident has been granted Dh1 million in compensation.
Medical reports confirmed the 47-year-old Indian worker had lost the ability to eat, drink and go to the washroom by himself and needed 24-hour assistance.
The accident happened in 2012 when the Emirati driver fell asleep. The worker was sitting in the back seat of the vehicle.
The Dubai Appeal Court ordered the insurance company to pay Dh1 million in civil compensation to the worker, A.K.
A.K.’s lawyer Karunagappally Shamsudeen of Al Kabban and Associates, lodged a civil lawsuit against the insurance company seeking Dh2 million in compensation.
“The insurance company has a civic responsibility towards A.K. The latter became a quadriplegic following the accident. The Emirati driver was convicted and punished for being responsible for the accident. Considering that the car was insured at the insurance company, then the latter is obliged to compensate the victim as per the Civil Procedures Law,” said Shamsudeen.
Records said the Indian man had worked as a cook in Abu Dhabi for 17 years. He was travelling from Abu Dhabi to Fujairah with the Emirati driver and another man when the accident happened.
The driver was tired and suddenly fell asleep before losing control of the vehicle, which overturned on Dubai Bypass Road.
Court records said A.K. was admitted to Rashid Hospital where he was hospitalised for three months and underwent surgery.
He has since been repatriated.
“A.K. sustained medical, physical, financial and moral damages following the accident. He cannot eat, drink, walk or use his hands or legs or even use the washroom without a permanent escort,” Shamsudeen mentioned in the lawsuit.
A court-assigned medical committee examined the claimant and decided his medical condition would not improve.
The victim sustained a 100 per cent permanent disability, according to the committee’s report.
Sources told Gulf News that the insurance company had already deposited the Dh1 million in the court’s accounts.
