‘My Mother’s Death Could Have Been Avoided’: Agostina Grech’s Son In Heartfelt Appeal For Safety Enforcement
The son of Agostina Grech, who died in Malta’s latest construction-related fatality, has issued a heartfelt appeal over safety and enforcement in the country.
“My mother’s death could have been avoided,” Jean Pierre Grech told Lovin Malta.
“No one should lose their life over someone else’s carelessness,” he said. “My mother is dead now, and she is not coming back.”
Agostina Grech is the 64-year-old Paola resident who tragically lost her life after falling a storey at a construction site in Marsa. The accident occurred at around 2:15pm on 15th May along Triq Azzopardi.
Grech recounted how his mother was simply enjoying her Sunday afternoon together with the family when they decided to go and check out the progress on a family member’s apartment nearby. Agostina also wanted to take some food to a family member that was working on the apartment.
“The works are almost done – however one needs to pass over a ‘bridge’ to get to the other apartments,” he explained.
Agostina was walking along a makeshift bridge when she fell to her death. The storey-high bridge did not even have a railing or any safety measures that would stop someone from falling.
“She fell when she was walking back over the bridge – it could have been much worse because she wasn’t the only one on the bridge,” he recounted, explaining that other family members were also on it when the accident happened.
“The scene of my mother laying on the floor after she fell will traumatise me forever,” he said. “I didn’t even know what to do.”
“Why don’t the relevant entities check whether construction sites are safe? Why do they check afterwards? Why is safety not being enforced?” the man’s wife told the newsroom.
The construction site was left without a gate, she said, warning that a construction worker, much like Agostina, could have also died.
“This should be a must from the start, not after,” they appealed. “It’s a shame that someone needs to lose their life for action to be taken.”
Jean Pierre also criticised certain reports made by the media, which gave the impression that she was in a quarry, and not accessing an apartment through means of a bridge. He appealed for more sensitivity when it comes to reporting similar stories.
He also expressed his disappointment at “useless” comments he read online of Maltese people reacting to the death, stressing that it only brought more pain to the family.
“From my mother’s death, now all I want to do is raise awareness. I’m never getting my mother back now,” he said.
“Too many tragedies are happening in this country,” he said.
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