Small is lucky for truck driver

A truck driver's small build probably saved him from getting crushed inside the cabin when the vehicle accidently plunged into a Mellieħa quarry and toppled over yesterday.

Clayton Grima, 24, of Mellieħa, escaped with minor scratches and bruises and was back home a few hours after the accident, which took place at about 8.45 a.m.

"It was a miracle. Everyone is saying how lucky he was," his mother Rose said as she thought back to the worrying phone call she received in the morning informing her about the accident.

"My heart sank. I was convinced they were hiding something from me and that, once I'd get to hospital, I'd hear the dreaded news. But, thank God, he is fine and doesn't even have any fractures. I can't describe the relief. I feel reborn," she said.

The accident happened as Mr Grima, who had been driving the truck for about a year and a half, was about to unload construction material into the quarry known as Tal-Blu in Manikata on the outskirts of Mellieħa, sources said. As he reversed the truck towards the edge of the quarry, a storey below road level, it slid backwards.

The back of the vehicle was the first to hit the ground. It then flipped around and ended up upside down inside the quarry.

The engine got dislodged on impact and slid into the cabin. The cabin itself got squashed under the truck's weight and Mr Grima's small physique prevented him from meeting a similar fate.

Civil protection officers cut away parts of the cabin to free Mr Grima who remained conscious throughout the operation. He was then taken to hospital where it emerged that he had only suffered slight injuries, the police said, adding that investigations into the accident continued.