Gujarat High Court Rules Parked Trucks Without Indicators are Wholly Liable for Accidents

The Gujarat High Court has ruled that truck drivers are solely responsible for accidents caused by parking on highways without warning indicators or safety signals.

Justice Mool Chand Tyagi overturned a previous tribunal decision that suggested "contributory negligence" by a deceased scooterist who rammed into a stationary truck at night.

The Court emphasized that parking a vehicle partially on the road without lights constitutes a "gross violation" of the Motor Vehicles Act.

It noted that oncoming glare makes it nearly impossible for motorists to spot unlit obstructions, subsequently increasing the compensation for the victim’s family from ₹5.96 lakh to ₹9.25 lakh.

[Patel Jashiben Govindbhai Wife of Decd. & Ors. v. Shaitan Singh S/O Arjun Singh & Anr.]