The heirs of a man who was killed in a traffic accident 17 years ago have been awarded almost €150,000 in damages by the Civil Court.

Antoine Brincat died in the wreckage of a Suzuki driven by Claudia Camilleri.

The incident happened in Aldo Moro Road , Marsa, at 4.45 am on November 1, 1993 when Ms Camilleri lost control of the vehicle and crashed into an electricity pole. Mr Brincat died as a result of the serious injuries he suffered in the crash.

At the time of the accident the Suzuki was not covered by insurance as Ms Camilleri’s brother, who owned it, had failed to renew the insurance when it lapsed a few days previously.

The court heard that Mr Brincat had met Ms Camilleri and another friend after she finished work at the Riza Aparthotel. They went to the Suncrest Hotel and then to Paceville where they remained until between 3.30am and 4.00am.

No conclusive evidence was produced to show that Ms Camilleri had been under the influence of alcohol when she was driving. No tests for alcohol were carried out.

Ms Camilleri did not testify as she had no memory of the accident, while Ms Cauchi, the other passenger, could not testify properly as she was asleep when the accident occurred.

However, the court concluded that Ms Camilleri was to blame for the accident as she had lost control of the car and had been driving at excessive speed.

The court observed that Ms Camilleri had been out of her home since 4.00pm on the day preceding the accident. In that time she had gone to work and had then gone out with her friends.

When liquidating the damages the court took into consideration that Mr Brincat was 25 years old when he had died and that his future earning potential was to be taken into consideration. Ms Camilleri was ordered to pay Mr Brincat’s heirs €149,371.07 in damages.