Man, woman injured as truck careers downhill

Two pedestrians, a man and a woman in their late 40s, were injured when they were hit by a truck which careered downhill in Naxxar Road, Birkirkara and crashed into the façade of a residence, missing a bus stop by centimetres.

Two cars were also damaged in the accident which occurred at about 5 p.m.

The accident happened as the Ford Iveco truck was coming down Naxxar Road. For some reason - people were heard saying the cause could have been a brake failure - the truck hit a stationary brand new Peugeot 107 which was waiting for pedestrians to use the zebra crossing.

The Ford, which smashed the side of the Peugeot, crashed into some barriers, mounted the pavement and hit and injured the man and the woman, eyewitnesses said.

It carried on downhill hitting a Skoda before crossing Valley Road.

It ended up crashing into the façade of the house, demolishing the gate of architect Michael Falzon, just missing a bus stop. There were no people on the bus stop at the time.

Mario Delia, owner of Delia Video Shop, said he was inside when he heard a loud noise. When he went out he saw a woman, who appeared to be unconscious, on the ground, and a man who was injured and who was asking for water. Mr Delia then reported the accident to the police.

The driver of the Ford and some passengers in the cars involved in the accident had to be treated for shock.