Asian wins Dh1m award for lost eye
An Indian surveyor who partially lost his eyesight in a bizarre work site accident about five years ago, will receive Dh1 million in compensation, after the Supreme Court in Abu Dhabi upheld the ruling of the lower courts in the case.
What makes the case unique is that the man, Raju Premkumar, now aged 34, from Cheriyazhekkal, Kollam, in Kerala, is not in the country.
His case was fought by the law firm Al Kabban & Associates.
Premkumar left the country for treatment after the accident and signed a power of attorney over to the law firm to pursue the case.
Speaking to Emirates 24|7, Advocate Shamsudeen Karunagapppally from the firm says, the company and the insurance firm challenged the ruling of the lower two courts before the Supreme Court verdict.
“The case has been going on for more than four years,” Shamsudeen said.
“We have received a claim for Dh1 million from the contracting company. The court has advised the company to claim the money from the insurance firm.
“It is important for the surveyor who hails from a poor family and was leading a difficult life back home,” he adds.
According to the case file as revealed by Shamsudeen, Premkumar was a surveyor on a road project in Abu Dhabi, when a shovel machine hit him from behind.
Premkumar was standing in front of a station optical camera and when he was hit from behind and crashed into the camera, causing severe injury to his left eye, teeth and face.
“The accident happened on May 11, 2009,” Shamsudeen says.
Premkumar was taken to the Al Rahba Hospital, and later taken to the Al Mafraq Hospital in Abu Dhabi, where he underwent treatment for 20 days, including multiple surgeries. However, he lost proper sight in his left eye.
Before leaving to India for further treatment, Premkumar gave a power of attorney to the law firm. Shamsudeen says the firm took up the case pro bono, paying for all the court fees subsequently.