7 Major Traffic Accidents In 72 Hours: This Week Showed Harsh Reality Of Malta’s Roads
It’s no secret that road safety and etiquette in Malta leaves something to be desired, but the last few days have been a little bit more problematic that usual.
Between Wednesday 19th and Sunday 23rd June, there have been at least seven traffic or vehicle related accidents that resulted in at least 11 people being hospitalised and the tragic death of 10-year-old Elisa Buhagiar. And a (frighteningly) vast majority of these accidents took place on Thursday the 20th of June.
1. Manikata, June 20th
At around 5:35pm on Thursday, a car overturned following a collision with another vehicle resulting in the tragic death of a young girl. The car that overturned was being driven by the father of the girl who died.
2. Ħamrun, June 20th
On the same day as the Manikata accident, a woman was rushed to hospital after being struck by a black Seat Ibiza in Triq Joe Sciberras, Ħamrun. An ambulance arrived on site to assist the woman, before taking her to Mater Dei. The driver of the Seat Ibiza was unharmed, but was confirmed to be in a shocked state.
3. Marsascala, 20th June
Yet again on the same day, four people were admitted to hospital for treatment after a traffic accident that occurred shortly after 8pm.
A head-on collision occurred in Triq id-Daħla ta’ San Tumas, Marsascala. One car, a Maruti 800, included a 34-year-old driver, a 35-year-old woman and another 34-year-old man. All three of them were Italian nationals who resided in Marsacala. The other car, a Honda Civic, was being driven by 20-year-old Maltese man from Marsaxlokk.
4. Mosta, June 20th
A 63-year-old man from Mosta was hit by a vehicle which was being driven by a 54-year-old man from Ħamrun on Ponsomby Street, corner with Guzeppi Callus Street, at around 10:30m. The woman was transferred to Mater Dei by ambulance.
5. Msida, June 20th
Barely 20 minutes later the Police were notified about another traffic accident on the Imsida Waterfront. An 81-year-old Italian woman had been hit by a vehicle which was beig driven by a 51-year-old man from Rabat. This woman was also transferred to Mater Dei by ambulance.
6. Swieqi, June 21st
The next day, an elderly man was grievously hurt when he was hit by a car as he was crossing the road in Swieqi. The 79-year-old man was walking on the corner of Triq il-Qasam with Triq is-Sejjiegħ when he was hit by a Toyota being driven by a 35-year-old man from Gżira.
7. Sliema, June 22nd
A 66-year-old Sliema resident was driving a Toyota Aygo on Tower Road when he collided with a parked concrete truck at around 11.30am, and had to be taken to hospital for care.
BONUS: Gozo Channel, June 20th
Also on Thursday the 20th of June, a man was seriously injured when two boats collided in the channel between Gozo and Comino.
Looking at the amount of accidents that took place over a period of just 72 hours is pretty disheartening
And this doesn’t even include smaller collisions and accidents that didn’t result in any form of injury, of which there are plenty on a daily basis. It also doesn’t include other accidents such as a construction mishap in Qawra that resulted in the death of a 23-year-old man.