Sunday, 5th July 2009 - 18:08CET

Car overturns in Kappara, driver escapes serious injury

The driver of a Ford Ka was lucky to escape serious injury when the car overturned at a bend in the Regional Road in Kappara, near the petrol station.

The incident happened at about 4 p.m. as the car was being driven downhill towards the roundabout. The incident is thought to have happened when the car hit the pavement. The driver was rushed to hospital but was not seriously hurt.

The road was quickly reopened for traffic.

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Article © Allied Newspapers Ltd., printed on Sunday, November 22, 2009. This article is for personal use only, and should not be distributed.

Comments

Jason Coleiro (on 6/7/09)

Mr Bugeja maybe you are right but another speed camera????? why dont we test the poor laid tarmac from the well known local company that makes it? definitely its of the lowest grade possible. Being a seismc qualified person i can tell you that i myself tested our tarmac and surprise!!!! 46.653% glass and other very poor and slippery materials. We definitely need to grow and just tell the authorities to do something unless they would like to be sued over and over and over again.This is our right to have also safe roads because we are paying a lot from our pockets and everyone knows it.

Neville Bugeja (on 6/7/09)

Ford Ka is a very low car, with a low centre of gravity, therefore it is extremely difficult to overturn a Ford Ka. I think that a speed camera in this area could help because of the great number of accidents that occur here, especially during the weekend. I live just there, and I know what I'm saying since almost every weekend night I hear people skidding and hitting bumping

G Falzon (on 5/7/09)

I am remembering also a few weeks ago whilst I was driving immediately behind a bus down the same stretch of road, I was astonished as the bus skidded smoothly and came to a halt right across the road. In a few seconds the driver reshuffled his feathers from the shock, put the bus back on its lane and continued on his way. Thank God no serious incident occured but probably and regretfully no record of this at MTA too.

G Falzon (on 5/7/09)

It is the second car of the same type I have seen overturned during daylight in exactly the same area! And this in a couple of weeks!

ray pace (on 5/7/09)

Whilst wishing the driver a speedy recovery, there are a multitude of reasons why accidents happen. It is not just car accidents, but unfortunately even cyclists are experiencing accidents. This week two Cyclists were injured whilst training, one of them preparing to take the Betfair Lifecycle Challenge in aid of the Renal Patients and Transplant Support Group due to diesel spread on the road surface and water from roundabout and centre strip irrigation. Other reasons are the accumulated material below pavements and along roads causing punctures and accidents too. Another Lifecycle cyclist is risking missing the event after months of hard training due to another serious accident when he was hit by a vehicle. I appeal for prudence on the roads.

Paul Barrett (on 5/7/09)

@ J Oatmon
There are so many other possibilities that could have contributed to this accident. I gave one common one earlier (car cutting in without indication). Other possibilities are:
A fly, wasp or bee in the car.
Dust or dirt flying in through an open window into the drivers eye(s).
Sudden breaking of a car in front.
Oil or some other substance or article on the road.
An animal (cat or dog are common) running across the road.
A human crossing the road.
Puncture or other mechanical failure.
Sudden and or distracting reflection from the sun.
As there would appear to be no witnesses forthcoming, only the driver, who fortunately appears to not be seriously hurt, can actually say what happened.

Alfred Cassar (on 5/7/09)

I dont know why but every time there is an accident it's always the fault of the road, the trees, the cameras, the center strips, the government etc etc. It is NEVER the fault of the driver. For some people all the roads in Malta should be in perfect condition and without bends, without slopes, in order for them to drive happily and hopefully without any accidents.

J Oatmon (on 5/7/09)

@ Ryan Bugeja "The incident is thought to have happened when the car hit the pavement."

- I would gues this was possibly caused by inattention, perhaps because of chatting on the mobile phone, and as a result, hitting the kerb. I see no other reason for hitting the kerb in daylight on a dry road, with no other vehicle involved.

Aaron Schembri (on 5/7/09)

@Mario Azzopardi:
I believe that your proposition to install more speed cameras is , to be honest ... pointless. The road itself is quite slippery , i myself use that particular road very frequently and believe it needs maintanance. On the other hand , installing a speed camera on every road which is reported to have a traffic accident is pointless ... it will not reduce accidents , it might even increase them ( won't go into that ). As pointed out by the reporter , the accident happened due to the driver accidentally hitting the curb .... i don't believe it is due to overspeeding , so your suggestion is pointless.

Paul Barrett (on 5/7/09)

The pavement is in fact the road surface. Commonly the footpath is called the pavement which of course it is not.
As far as I remember, there is no footpath along that stretch of the road and therefore the accident possibly happened when the car hit the kerb stone to the central reservation.
As the road there is a fairly steep downhill slope and the road camber is actually sloping the wrong way, combined with the central reservation bushes which materially effect a drivers view, it takes very little in the way of an additional incident (like another car changing lanes without indication or use of mirror) to cause an accident at even a reasonably slow speed.

chris poulton (on 5/7/09)

There are numerous accidents in this particular spot. The relevant authorities need to check the surface of the road in front of the petrol station. Oil / fuel leaks are suspected. My father once skidded badly but avoided a collission, a friend totalled a car when it skidded, and below another post from somebody who'se daughter also skidded in the same spot. Coincidence........unlikely.

Ryan Bugeja (on 5/7/09)

@James Green:
Can you read? "The incident is thought to have happened when the car hit the pavement."

Anne Zammit (on 5/7/09)

Hemm kien hemm xi haga ma l-art it tifla tieghi giet imwerwra xi 5.30 am qaltli skidjajt.kien hemm wiehed quddiema skidja harset lejh u skidjat hi all grazjja ta alla ma gralhom xejn it tnejn

Mario Azzopardi (on 5/7/09)

Do we need another speed camera here too?? or do we have to wait for a fatality before we install one?

James Green (on 5/7/09)

Another skid due to a 'polished road' surface?

Car overturns in Kappara, driver escapes serious injury

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