18-year-old woman dies in car crash

An 18-year-old woman died early yesterday morning after the car she was travelling in veered off the Coast Road and smashed into the rocks below in Baħar Iċ-Cagħaq.

Yana Xerri from St Paul’s Bay was a passenger in an Opel Corsa being driven towards Qawra by 22-year-old Clint Xuereb from Naxxar.

The accident happened at around 4.45 a.m. when the driver lost control of the car, crossed the carriageway, hit a road sign and crashed onto the rocks about a storey below, the police said.

Police sources said Ms Xerri was thrown out of the passenger window and was found lying on the ground close to the car. Investigators have still not established whether she was wearing the seat belt.

However, sources said a considerable amount of blood on the passenger side of the car’s roof indicates the seat belt was not used. The car is believed to have flipped over.

They were both taken to hospital but Ms Xerri was certified dead. The man suffered slight head injuries and was discharged from hospital yesterday afternoon. Ms Xerri is the 15th traffic fatality this year.

In a separate accident, a Sudanese man from Żurrieq lost control of his vehicle and crashed into three parked cars at The Strand in Sliema.

A Spanish tourist who was loading luggage in the boot of one of the cars when the accident took place suffered serious facial injuries.

The 35-year-old man was driving a Daewoo Racer when he lost control of the vehicle at around 6.45 a.m.

The Spanish woman was kept overnight at hospital for treatment while the Sudanese man was slightly injured and was also kept for observation.

The police are investigating both incidents.