WATCH: Terrified Injured Worker Discarded By Boss On Mellieħa Pavement After Falling Two Storeys In Construction Site
A construction worker who fell a number of storeys while at work was left abandoned at the side of a quiet road in a shocking incident showing the dangers of working precarious jobs for vulnerable communities in Malta.
The man, who has since been picked up by an ambulance after being attended to by police and medics in Mellieħa, was left in a “terrified” state, witnesses told Lovin Malta, fearful that he would end up in jail or worse.
“This man fell two storeys on a building site whilst at work. His boss drove him away telling him he’d take him to hospital but instead dumped him on the side of the road,” Caroline Galea, who saw the man and assisted him until authorities arrived, said in a public post.
“He drove a man who had just fallen down two storeys on his building site and disposed of him on the side of a road. Why? Because he is working without a permit. And the legal ramifications of that seem to outweigh ensuring the safety and care of a fellow human.”
Speaking to Lovin Malta, Galea described the circumstances the man found himself in as “disgusting”.
“It was so sad to see, the man was so scared,” she recounted. “I was just shocked, I couldn’t believe that people may treat others this way.”
“He was crying, sobbing and saying he was in a lot of pain – he was terrified,” she continued. “We were just trying to comfort him, and he asked us to call his wife who is abroad.”
“It was just so sad – he had come here to try and build a life and this is what they did to him…”
In footage from the scene, the man can be heard sobbing and pleading with police officers not to jail him.
The man was found on the pavement near the athletic track in Selmun, Mellieħa, at around 11.30am today.
Though the man was found barely hours ago, it is believed that he had fallen after stepping onto a wooden platform while at work before landing on his back. His boss then told the man he would be taken to hospital, but after placing him in their van he merely drove him to this quiet road and ditched him on the side.
Galea praised the first police officers who appeared on scene to assist the man.
“Lying on the floor, he kept saying: ‘I don’t want to go to prison. I don’t want to go to prison’, and the officer reassured him, saying: ‘Don’t worry, you haven’t done anything wrong, you were working…'”
Speaking to Lovin Malta, a police spokesperson confirmed that a man had been found laid out in Triq is-Selmun, Mellieħa – however, investigations into what happened to the man are still underway, with police as of yet unable to determine the cause or severity of his injuries.
He was assisted by community police officers before district officers and an ambulance were called in.
The man is currently being treated in Mater Dei Hospital.
Have you ever seen anything like this in Malta?
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