‘Lost husband 3 yrs ago, yet to get accident claim’

Unsafe roads and rash driving robbed me of my husband Jayanta Das and pushed my two children and me to the brink. It’s been almost three years now, but any news of road accident still sends a chill down my spine. I feel terribly helpless.

I try not to read or watch any news on accidents in newspapers and on TV, but it is difficult not to given that at least one fatal mishap takes place every day here. In fact, even earlier, my

husband

was seriously injured in another accident in Assam, in which I lost my brother-in-law.

Every time I come across such a news, the dark memories of June 6, 2016, come rushing back. On the fateful day, I got a call from my husband’s manager. My husband was heading for Howrah Mongla Haat, where we had a children’s garments shop. An app cab rammed into my husband’s car. Initially, we were relieved that he did not suffer any external injury. But the sense of ease was short-lived. We soon learnt about his internal haemorrhage and we lost him to the injury. The sky fell on us.

We were completely devastated. My daughter, who was a little mature, never expressed to anyone how badly the sudden loss of her father hit her. My son, who was extremely attached to his father, got disoriented and withdrawn. He still stares at his father’s photo for hours on end.

The unfortunate part is that I am yet to receive the motor accident claim, something that should be considered the survival right of every accident victim’s family. Being a homemaker, I struggle to make the ends meet. The business collapsed, the family income dropped. Somehow, we manage to stay afloat. I know no monetary compensation can fill the void. But the financial assistance from

accident claim

helps families to clutch onto life. The wait for the compensation has been exasperating. Three years have passed, but we still don’t know when we will get the money.

(As told to Krishnendu

Bandyopadhyay)