On Sunday one of our field workers from Hetauda, Palden, was knocked off his motorbike by a truck. He is currently on a ventilator in a Kathmandu hospital and it seems likely that if he survives he'll be left with brain damage. The truck belonged to a major haulage company and the company agreed to fund Palden's immediate care and, if need be, long term family support to his wife and children.
When I first came to Nepal I was told by my driver during a road journey that the immediate action in the event of an accident was to get out and run for it. Irrespective of whether or not the fault lies with the driver, a mob of locals can form very quickly and summary justice meted out. I remember on one occasion as we were driving along seeing someone up ahead fall off his bicycle. My (Nepali) driver was insistent that we shouldn't stop for if we had we'd most likely have been blamed for whatever had happened to the cyclist and there'd be a demand for compensation. Nepal's roads are no place for a Good Samaritan.
Compensation to the victim of a traffic accident is the norm in Nepal, if the victim survives. I have heard it said that it is common for a victim to be "finished off" in a bid to avoid a life-long bill to the motorist concerned.
