Panamaram: Nearly a year after a drunk-driving truck ploughed into roadside workers at Nattika, leaving five dead and many injured, Jancy of Pachilakkadu still waits for justice. Crippled by devastating injuries and abandoned without compensation, her family’s struggle continues under the shadow of tragedy.

The lorry driver, who had been under the influence of alcohol, caused the accident at Nattika near Thrissur ten months ago. Yet, Jancy and her family have not received a single rupee as compensation from any of the government departments

The tragedy struck in November last year, when the truck ploughed into workers sleeping by the side of the National Highway. Five people, including two infants, lost their lives in the accident. Though Jancy narrowly escaped death, she now bears the scars of the accident as a living martyr.

Both her knees were completely shattered and she also lost one foot. Her husband, Devendran, too suffered serious injuries and has since been unable to work. With no compensation forthcoming, the family struggles to survive.

After months of treatment at Thrissur Medical College, Jancy and her husband returned to their home in Pachilakkadu. But with no money left even for follow-up care, their recovery has been left incomplete. 

The family alleges that while their relatives in Palakkad, who also injured in the same accident, received compensation, they were denied assistance, dismissed as `gypsies.' Though their roots trace back to Tamil Nadu, Jancy’s family has been settled in Wayanad for several years.

Today, they live in a leaking shack roofed with tin sheets. Their application for a house under the LIFE Mission scheme was also rejected.