Claiming compensation

There are two separate routes for compensation after a road accident in India. Both can run in parallel.

Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal (MACT)

MACT is the main route for compensation from the vehicle owner's insurance. You do not need to hire a lawyer — the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) provides free legal help for this.

What you can claim

  • Medical expenses (current and future)
  • Loss of income during treatment
  • Permanent disability compensation
  • In death cases: loss of dependency for the family
  • Funeral expenses
  • Pain and suffering

How to file

  1. Collect the FIR, MLC, Form-I, Form-XII, and the eDAR Victim ID first. See the documents page.
  2. Visit the MACT tribunal for your district, or contact the DLSA and ask for free legal help to file a claim.
  3. The claim form asks for the victim's age, occupation, income, and the circumstances of the accident. The tribunal determines compensation.
  4. There is no strict deadline, but file as soon as you can. Claims filed many years after the accident are harder to prove.

Source: mact.hcnlservices.in

Hit-and-run cases (untraced vehicle)

If the vehicle cannot be identified or traced, you can still claim compensation from the government's Solatium Fund.

  • Death: ₹2 lakh
  • Grievous injury: ₹50,000

To claim, contact the Claims Enquiry Officer at the District Collector's office or any police station. File within six months of the accident.

Source: mact.hcnlservices.in

Free legal aid

You do not need to spend money on a lawyer to file a MACT claim. The District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) in your district provides free lawyers for road accident cases.

Find your DLSA: Help near me