‘I Wished To Die During The Procedure’: Elderly Maltese Woman Abandoned By Society After Traffic Accident
On the 14th of December, Margaret Darmanin’s life changed forever.
She went out for a walk when a vehicle ran both her and her friend over. Margaret, who at the time was 73-years-old suffered grievous injuries. The 37-year-old woman who was driving the car was fined, got no jail time, and is still allowed to drive her car to this day. Margaret sustained multiple traumatic injuries which included a left tibial fracture.
Lovin Malta reached out to both Margaret Darmanin and Martin Micallef, a friend which Margaret made while she was still at Mater Dei Hospital.
Martin was at the hospital visiting a relative back in December when he overheard Margaret talking about her situation. He felt like he couldn’t just stand by and not help her. Martin has been a part of Margaret’s life ever since.
Margaret feels scared and alone
Margaret’s journey is far from over. As a result of tibial nonunion (failure of the tibial bone to reconnect appropriately after the fracture), she is soon scheduled for complex knee surgery in Oxford. A biopsy is planned for Margaret, to ensure there is no chance of infection in her knee prior to the operation.
“Bħalissa saqajja l’aktar li qed tinkwietani. M’għandix flus biex insiefer, ma nafx kemm se ndum hemmek, ma nafx x’ser jiġri waqt l-operazzjoni, ma tawnix informazzjoni fuq ir-riskji għadhom, qed nibża,” Margaret told Lovin Malta.
“The surgery worries me, I don’t have the money to go abroad, I have no idea how long I will be staying, I have no idea what will happen during and I do not know the risks of this procedure. I’m scared”
The accident left her unable to walk on her own
After the accident, her knee was broken in two, making it impossible for her to walk on her own. Aside from the prospect of an operation, Margaret is scared to face it on her own. “It-tferfir li għandi fl’istonku mhux iħallini kwieta,” she added. The anxiety is making me restless.
When the police report came out, Margaret was told only she could pick it up as she was the one who filed it
Having spent some time bedridden, Margaret was in no position to fetch the report herself, and had to resort to sending someone by legal proxy.
“There’s a lot of injustice in this case which really breaks my heart,” Margaret’s friend Martin told Lovin Malta. “It’s like there’s no compassion for people who find themselves in these situations, the insurance didn’t step in to help pick up the police report.”
Martin eventually got the permission to pick it up for her, however that process took almost a month and a half.
“The insurance company, Gasan Mamo, is still insisting on getting the disability report before giving her any financial help. It makes no sense at all since the medical professor is not a hundred percent sure how long Margaret’s treatment will last,” he added.
Margaret lives in the upper floor of her house and cannot go up and down the stairs. She also mobilises with the help of a rollator frame. “The people from the insurance need to take up the responsibility to help her out with the equipment,” Martin said “What’s also worrying me is who’s going to go with her to Oxford for the surgery?”
Margaret feels like the insurance is not willing to help her
Margaret claims to barely make ends meet at the present. Her current expenses include medical bills, electricity bills and amenity, and she worries the added cost of her Oxford operation might well mean she will not be able to afford paying for it.
“What bothers me the most about Margaret’s situation is the whole insurance business. The housing authority will be giving her an advance on the stair lift, but the insurance people are being impossible to deal with,” Martin said.
Feeling that justice has failed Margaret, Martin also explained that a request was made to Gasan Mamo Insurance to pay the expenses incurred, and the various items she requires to lead a somewhat normal life. However, Martin claims they insist on getting the disability report before agreeing to help finance the costs.
“We need to use our common sense and emotions when it comes to these cases, sometimes procedures are not always the best options, especially when a person’s life is at stake. This is heartless,” Martin told Lovin Malta.
He lamented the current process for compensation; much like a car accident, the affected parties first pay for damages and then receive the money they are entitled too. “She is a pensioner, the only income she has is around €450 a month. The swivel bath seat and stairlift she requires are impossible for her to purchase with this measly amount of money,” Martin explained.
Margaret’s medical report from her upcoming knee surgery, scheduled for mid-September, will be required to cover the expenses. “It might even take six months for the report to come out, but Margaret needs her equipment now. It’s extremely frustrating for her,” Martin added.
Her situation is taking the toll on her mental health
“She’s very hurt. It’s not just a physical hurt but even her psyche was affected by this ordeal,” said Martin. “It’s not easy for someone who is as independent as Margaret was before the accident to be suddenly relying on the community like this.”
The only time Margaret goes in and out of her house is when she’s being picked up by the ambulance to be taken to hospital. “Dak l’unika ħin li nara il-bieb ta’ barra,” she said. (“That’s the only time I get to see my outside door nowadays.”)
“I feel like this is such a terrible situation for someone to be in. I want to help her but at the same time it’s the insurance’s job. It really pisses me off, every year they’re on TV giving off big cheques to charity. That’s not charity when considering how heartless they’ve been with Margaret. They’re not sensitive to her circumstances at all,” Martin said.
“She’s not asking for a huge compensation, she just wants to get her equipment so that she could gain some of her independence back,” Martin told us.
Martin has been forking out his personal savings to help Margaret. She has no family to turn to and he’s been trying his best to be of help.
Her medical professor does not operate outside of a private clinic, which makes it extremely difficult for her to get visits
“She’s not getting visits from her medical professor, only from his team. He would only see her in a private clinic and she doesn’t afford that,” Martin told us.
Up until last July, Margaret was getting her check-ups done in a private clinic, in the hope of saving her the hassle of getting the knee surgery should she show signs of improvement. This unfortunately did not happen.
“When it came to the court hearing, it was a total sham. The [person] who ran over her only got a fine, ruined her life and walked away scot-free. It feels like her life has no value,” Martin said. “If the insurance doesn’t want to pay up, at least the person who is responsible for the accident should. It’s only fair […] It’s terrible that she has to just sit and wait for someone to help her.”
Margret thankfully does find help from the Marsascala community. A local woman regularly checks in on her and brings her groceries; a neighbouring shop owner delivers meat and other food. “Allaħares m’hemmx min jiġi jgħini bix-xiri għax ma nafx x’nagħmel,” she said (“Thank god someone helps me out with the groceries, I wouldn’t know what to do.”)
She was a very independent woman before the accident
“Kont mara indipendenti qabel, imma issa spiċċajt hekk, vera diffiċli,” she said. “Meta tajjritni kont kważi wasalt id-dar, imma ħaditli saqajja w idejja. Anka arqubi weġġajt u koxxti.”
“I used to be an independent person before this, but now I’ve ended up like this and it’s difficult for me. I was almost home when it happened the car hit me in my leg and my arm too. I hurt my ankle and even my thigh.”
“I want to see justice for Margaret. I want the penalties for reckless driving to be harsher than this. Why does Margaret need to open up another procedure in court to get some sort of justice over this?” Martin told Lovin Malta.
Margaret spent two months at Mater Dei Hospital and another two months in Karin Grech for rehabilitation. “Diffiċli hux, tkun drajt tgħix waħdek u tagħmel kollox waħdek, imbagħad f’daqqa waħda tispiċċa l-isptar ma’ ħafna nies oħra,” said Margaret (“It’s difficult when you’re used to being on your own and doing everything by yourself, then all of a sudden you end up in hospital with a bunch of other people.”)
Martin feels like Margaret has been denied justice. “We’ve seen so many parliamentary changes in laws over the past few years. We got better civil rights, we’ve even got embryo rights, but what about human rights?” he asked. “Victims are forgotten. This is too much for her to handle.”
Margaret also added that she appreciates the help she gets from the community around her, however she feels like she is a burden at times. She feels that it is her right to get help from the insurance company, but they’re waiting on her disability report in order to help her, which is allegedly scheduled to come out sometime between March or April of 2019.
She feels like she doesn’t have a life anymore
“Lanqas banju sura ma nista’ nieħu. Ma rridx nagħmel shower, kif qiegħda il-kamra tiegħi ikollhom jaqlawli kollox mill-ġdid. Ikollhom jaqlawli il-kamra tal-banju kollha, u jien ma niflaħx għall dawn il-battikati. Xtaqt li jtuni swivel chair għall ġo l-banju, għallinqas inkun nista’ ninħasel sewwa waħdi biħ,” Margaret said.
I cannot even bathe properly. I don’t want to get a shower, the way my bathroom is structured it would mean that they would have to redo the whole room and I cannot deal with this stressful situations right now.
Margaret explained how she originally applied for the Meals-on-Wheels service on leaving Karin Grech hospital, however she soon terminated the service managing to cook for herself. She also claims to manage her own laundry and clean some parts of the house on her own, preferring to be as independent as possible.
“Jien nixtieq li jibgħatuli xi ħadd biex jaħsilli it-taraġ. Kullimkien trabb,” she said (“I wish they would send someone over, the stairs are dusty and I wish I could get help in washing it.”)
Margaret describes her life as a bitter contrast of what it was like before
Margaret told us a bit about how she used to spend her days, before the accident: starting her day by tending to her house, cleaning and cooking a small lunch for herself. She’d then head to Marsascala’s centre do some grocery shopping. Newspaper in tow, she used to go on daily walks along the promenade up to the old Jerma Hotel. On her way back she would stop at one of the many restaurants dotting the coast, where she would grab a cup of coffee and go through her newspaper to do the crossword.
Her helplessness nowadays is a bitter reminder of how free and able she was before the accident. She added she expected to leave hospital with a walking stick, and not have to remain with a rollator frame.
“Kont ferħana ħafna qabel, kont immur quddies meta jippermetti wkoll wara il-ħarġa ta’ filgħaxija, imma issa inħossni imsakkra,” Margaret said. “Nixtieq helper, imqar sakemm niġi fuq saqajja. Mbad ma jkollix bżonn aktar hux, m’hinix imdorrijja hekk jiena. Kif kellha tispiċċa hekk ħajjti?“
“I was very happy before this happened, I used to go to church when I had time too after my evening walk, but now I feel like I’m imprisoned. I wish I had a helper, at least until I can do things on my own. I wouldn’t need one anymore after that, I am not used to this. Why did my life end up like this”
She feels like her life is unbearable
“Aħjar Jeħodni taħt il-loppju,” Margaret laments.
“I wish God would take me while I’m under anaesthetic.”
Margaret explained she was disappointed with how she was being treated, and how room was not being made to appreciate her condition. “Meta tara li għandek raġun u ma tistax tieħdu, tweġġak. Għandi bżonn l’għajnuna, ilhom jafu minn Jannar tas-Social Services. Kitbu kollox u kellhom jibatuhieli, imma ma batuli xejn, u ma nistax immur għaliha, għax ma nistax nimxi,” she said (“When you know you’re right but an injustice is being done, it hurts. I need help. I’ve been needing help since January. The Social Services knew this, they wrote a report and they had to send it to me but they never did. I cannot go pick it up myself either, because I cannot really walk.”)
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