An Australian woman was left “shaking” after the karrozzin carriage that she was on flipped just 10 minutes into a ride in Mdina.

“Instead of asking how she is, the driver asked her to pay €35 for the ride, urging that he needs to give the money to his boss,” a relative of the woman told Lovin Malta before alleging that the driver is “his own boss”.

According to John* (the relative), the woman was only around five to ten minutes into the ride when the horse started to act “panicky” near the Greek Gate. As a response, the driver allegedly jumped out of his seat to try to calm the horse down which prompted the carriage the woman was sitting in to flip.

“Thankfully, both the driver and my relative jumped out in time, escaping with no injuries.”

“This could have been fatal, especially if there was a family with kids in there,” John told the newsroom. 

After the incident, the driver insisted that the woman pays for the full trip, which she did, “instead of asking her if she was ok”.

The horse and carriage were quickly taken away, according to her relative.

After receiving no concern for her welfare, the woman messaged John who was working in Ta’ Qali, and immediately went to the site of the incident where he found her “shaking from the fright”.

The pair then went to the police station in Rabat, after encountering closed doors of that in Mdina, where a sergeant allegedly said that while this is not under the remit of the police, he would still speak to the driver of the karrozzin and then get back to John.

“We didn’t go to the police because of the money, we just wanted someone to speak to the man because he seemed a bit like a bully. Overall, it’s about the principle of the issue,” he said, before stating that these accidents probably happen.

The Maltese man then reported the incident to Transport Malta which ensured that it would take action.

John further claimed that after the whole ordeal, he reassured his relative and maintained that this incident shouldn’t ruin her holiday. So, she went back to continue enjoying the streets of Mdina.

After wandering into a souvenir shop, the woman allegedly witnessed another incident of a different karrozzin hitting a tourist. 

“The roads in Mdina are very slippery so it can be very dangerous to have horses walking on them.”

Lovin Malta is currently awaiting comments and confirmation from TM and the Malta Police Force.

*The names in this story have been changed. 

UPDATE: The Malta Police force told Lovin Malta that since no injuries were reported and it was a situation regarding money, then this was a civil case not under the police’s jurisdiction. Nonetheless, a police official working at the Rabat police station spoke twice with the driver who eventually agreed and gave the money back.

Have you ever experienced an incident similar to this?