Litigation: Court rules against RAF liability for suicide

The Western Cape High Court has ruled that the Road Accident Fund is not liable to cover the loss of income for the family of a motorcyclist who committed suicide after an accident. The claim centered over whether a motorcyclist had taken his own life owing to injuries sustained in an accident. His family claimed for a loss of income due to his death. A report on the News24 site notes that the judgment withheld the names of the motorcyclist and his family. The victim was injured in a collision in 2014. A claim was lodged with the RAF, which was still being finalized two years after the accident, at the time of his death in 2016. Two years after his suicide, the man's wife approached the RAF with a second claim. She said the injuries sustained by her husband in the accident had caused his suicide, resulting in the loss of income for her and her two children. The court looked to determine whether, had it not been for the orthopedic injuries sustained during the accident, the man would have taken his own life.