‘I Used To Feel Pain In The Arm I Lost’: Ex-Construction Worker Recalls Fatal Life-Changing Accident In Għargħur Stone Quarry

An ex-construction worker from Mosta poured out his heart recalling the heart-touching moment when he lost his arm at his place of work.

Charlie Camilleri, who was 47 years old at the time, used to love going to work – it gave him a sense of fulfillment.

‘‘I loved my work. I used to enjoy it wholeheartedly and I was literally a workaholic,’’ he told The People Of Malta.

Charlie described the nerve-racking moment when he was working in a stone quarry in Għargħur, when his boiler suit’s sleeve got entangled in the conveyer belt and pulled his arm.

Olivia, his daughter, expressed to Lovin Malta the sheer shock she had experienced on the day of the accident.

‘‘I was having lunch at work when my boyfriend at the time told me that we had to go to the hospital because my dad had a small accident.’’

She rushed to the hospital to find her dad laying down with pipes all over him still conscious and encouraging her instead of the other way ’round.

‘‘Suddenly I passed out and found myself outside in the waiting area,” she said. 

This accident disturbed Charlie’s trajectory in life and he explained the sheer pain this had left on him and his family.

‘‘After I got hurt I only used to sleep for an hour. I used to feel the pain in the arm I had lost, even though it was no longer there.’’

Charlie explains how he’s always been a person that hid his feelings very well. However, this situation was a very challenging one as having a missing arm has limited him from doing certain things.

He explains how this accident had affected his daughters, with Charlie recalling how his daughters had matured immensely as a result.

However, the accident wasn’t enough to cease Charlie’s desire for life.

‘‘I do not accept there is something that I cannot do. I change challenges into opportunities.’’

As a result, Charlie kept pushing with his life and got even closer to his family.