FOR the first time ever in the North, family members of two road accident victims who lost their lives shared a total of $150,000 in compensation yesterday.
Labelled as a bittersweet event, father of the late Janis Kreyl, who died in an accident in Savusavu this year, and Abhyas, who lost his mother Narainiama in Labasa in March this year, were given $75,000 each.
While officiating at the handover event, Accident Compensation Commission Fiji (ACCF) chief executive officer Parvez Akbar said the compensation payments were made under the Accident Compensation Act of 2017.
Mr Akbar said the occasion was bittersweet in the sense that it involved the unnecessary loss of two precious lives on our roads.
“However, thanks to the introduction of the accident compensation scheme, which came into force at the start of this year, we are now in a position in Fiji to compensate for the loss of these lives in a timely manner,” said Mr Akbar.
“Today (yesterday), we are paying out the sum of $75,000 to Simione Seru for the loss of his daughter Janis Kreyl, who passed away on the 20th of April 2018 due to a motor vehicle accident while trying to cross the road at the time of the unfortunate event.
“We are also paying out the sum of $75,000 to Abhyas for the loss of his mother who passed away on 23rd March 2018 as a result of a motor vehicle accident, she was also a pedestrian.
“I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to you both on behalf of the entire ACCF family.
“We are fortunate to be able to be of service to you in a manner which is timely and free of cost.
“We now have a much fairer system in place which is victim-friendly and not procedurally onerous.” So far, the commission has paid out $1.2 million in compensation for road accidents to victims’ families.
