‘We Want Accountability And Closure’: The Lead-up, Aftermath And Consequences Of Negligence That Caused The Death Of Dieter Vink
Today marks a week since the accident that claimed the life of Dieter Vink, an innocent biker who collided with a haphazardly placed, unpermitted skip in the middle of the St Paul’s Bay bypass.
The Yorkshire-born 54-year-old had been residing in Malta since the 1990s, having made quite a positive reputation for himself ever since. As a hairdresser by trade, his career transitioned to that of a customer service specialist, however, he was better known as a beloved biker through and through.
His positive effect on those around him is highlighted by the overwhelming outpour of condolences and nostalgic comments left by the close-knit community of bikers as well as his family and friends, following his death.
Ultimately, the case sparked a nationwide uproar, with widespread demands for “justice” and “accountability” from those responsible for taking an innocent life — demands echoed passionately by the victim’s family.
Lovin Malta reached out to Dieter’s close friends and relatives, who have openly expressed their disappointment and sorrow, to hear their recollections of the events and their thoughts on the situation.
The Lead-Up
The first to speak was Juliette Johnson, a close friend of Vink’s who she said was his “next of kin in Malta.”
She shared how on the day of the accident, Wednesday 11th December, she was hit with a wave of shock upon seeing the influx of news reports featuring Dieter’s recognisable motorcycle.
She immediately called the hospital who confirmed her fears. Dieter was hospitalised and diagnosed with haemophilia, a condition that hinders the body’s ability to make blood clots, resulting in prolonged bleeding.
Juliette called Dieter’s family – his parents Patricia and Anthony Holmes, and his sister Angie – to inform them of the situation and his dire state.
Having already made plans to visit Malta that same week, their plans were rushed as they promptly arranged transportation to Malta.
By 8am of the following day, his family was already in Malta and on their way to the hospital.
“We saw how horrific his injuries were,” Johnson said, “he was in a very critical condition.”
Apart from “catastrophic brain trauma,” Vink suffered numerous injuries, including several fractured ribs, a broken right arm, extensive bruising, and severe damage to his liver and spleen.
On Thursday 12th the family was advised to go home while the doctors ran an MRI scan, however, during preparation, Vink’s condition took a serious turn for the worse, complicating the procedure and prompting medical staff to opt for a CT Scan instead.
After a day of life-saving attempts, the family was informed that there was nothing more that could been done, Dieter’s situation was too severe. They were advised that it would be best to gradually reduce his medication and allow him to pass away peacefully.
“We went through every message, we went through texts, WhatsApp, Facebook, we laughed, we giggled, we cried, we played music to him, we talked to him constantly.”
Just two days after the accident, on Friday 13th December at 10.20pm, Dieter Vink passed away surrounded by his loved ones.
The Aftermath
Amid the influx of news coverage, it was soon revealed that the skip in question was placed in the road without a proper permit and that residents had been complaining about its dangers for a long time.
“St Paul’s Bay Residents have been complaining since September. They pleaded for any safety measures to be taken,” explained Fleur Marie Cilia Buckett, a very close friend of Dieter’s.
She explained that since the pleas, the respective authorities and local councils had failed to secure the area properly, with the only bollard placed on site being swept away by the wind.
The contractor behind the skip’s placement was revealed by the Times of Malta to be JV Infrastructure, a private construction company owned by the brother of Infrastructure Malta’s Head of Implementation, name Vella, according to the Shift News.
Transport Malta and Infrastructure Malta have since denied issuing permits for the skip.
However, despite this, the skip was not removed. On top of this, neither the responsible contractors nor any of the associated authorities have offered their condolences or admitted any fault.
“No cards, no flowers, no apologies; nothing,” Johnson remarked, “If they said sorry it would’ve been a start, but them doing nothing treats him as insignificant.”
The Consequences
“It’s incompetence and recklessness. We are fighting for a public inquiry. Nobody from the government entity is taking accountability, nobody approached the family,” Fleur joined in.
Due to this, the family are calling the act an “injustice,” proceeding to demand “accountability and closure.”
“Dieter died because of the negligence and incompetence of somebody…we want accountability,” they collectively agreed.
On top of demanding for responsibility to be taken, the family also stressed for the proper precautions to be taken in the future to avoid similar fatal incidents.
“There should be proper permits, an officer on-site, cones, lights,” Fleur stated – “There should be common bloody sense,” the father, Anthony, frustratedly added.
When asked whether Dieter had ever felt unsafe in Maltese roads during his 14 years of living here, Fleur chimed in to share that the man was a “very attentive biker.”
“He was always safe. He was even the admin of a Facebook page that reported accidents to raise awareness to drivers and other bikers,” she added.
The family wanted to stress their appreciation and gratitude towards all first responders, primarily, Alison Vella, the woman who not only filmed the moments following the crash, but was a witness to it all, promptly calling emergency services after the fact.
“If it wasn’t for that lady and her quick actions, we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to say goodbye to Dieter. So for that, she should feel appreciated.”
Today marks one week since Dieter’s death, the family has not yet been contacted by any involved parties.
Lovin Malta has also contacted Infrastructure Malta for a comment, but no response was given as of yet.
Funds are still being raised for Dieter’s cremation and any legal fees that will go into the case. A GoFundMe page has been set up, already amassing over €7,000, with additional donations being collected during a bike ride organised by Fleur on 28th December to honour Dieter.
Lovin Malta extends its deepest condolences to the family and hopes they will get the closure they deserve.
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