For road crash survivors, the real battle is fighting for compensation
Road crash survivors in Tanzania face significant challenges in securing insurance compensation, often leading to financial ruin and medical neglect. Despite legal requirements for timely payouts, victims report long delays and bureaucratic hurdles.
Why it matters
It highlights systemic failures in the insurance industry that disproportionately affect vulnerable accident victims.
Dar es Salaam. Escaping death in a road crash is only the beginning of another battle.
Beyond injuries and trauma, victims struggle with medical bills, lost income, and depleted savings while waiting for insurance compensation.
For others, the challenge begins with a lack of knowledge about their rights, while those who file claims can face lengthy follow-ups, additional document requests, and delays.
Under Section 131 of the Insurance Act, 2023 (Cap 394), insurers are required to pay claims within 45 days once a claim has been properly submitted, verified, and liability established.
The provision is intended to prevent unnecessary delays.
However, a three-month investigation by The Citizen between May and August found many accident survivors frustrated by procedural problems.
A resident of Mbeya, Mr Jafari Athumani*, illustrates the human cost of the struggle after being involved in the February 2025 crash that killed five people.
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