Major Peter Ripard speaks for the first time since losing his leg in the Transport Malta bomb blast

The traffic expert who lost his leg in the Transport Malta bombing recalls in “great detail” everything that happened on that fateful day but has made a conscious decision to put it all behind him and look ahead.

When asked about the incident, Major Peter Ripard, 74, the only serious casualty of the December 2 explosion, told The Times from his hospital bed it was useless talking about what had happened. He preferred to think of what he wanted to do next, despite the fact that his leg has been amputated from above the knee and that he was still in pain.

The police have yet to establish the motive behind the blast since the targeted office belonged to the chief officer of land transport, Konrad Pulè, who was also in the second-floor room when the handmade bomb went off but escaped unharmed.

“I have lots of unfinished work to do and I am looking forward to getting on with that,” the TM consultant said, despite the fact that he was still suffering post-amputation phantom pain.

“The sensation is indescribable,” he said of the pain that comes and goes, comparing it to “someone with a blowlamp, burning your foot”.

He is taking painkillers but has to handle their “terrible” side effects, which include a cracked tongue and swollen lips.

Nevertheless, Major Ripard is looking at his situation as a “new challenge”, saying he is surprised God left it so late in life but certain he would overcome it.

The incident only put him off in the sense that he has been slowed down physically – not mentally, he said.

‘They took my father’s leg but not his mind’

The fact that he woke up to find a good part of his leg missing does not worry him unduly, Major Ripard said, and he was determined to “beat it psychologically”. Having undergone surgery four times in his life, he is more concerned about his physical health.

Major Ripard is using a wheelchair but does not think he will be discharged from hospital any time soon, his doctors being unwilling to commit and saying it depends on his progress. He expects it will be another few weeks before he is fitted with a prosthetic limb.

“Meanwhile, I am as well as I can be in the circumstances and experiencing ups and downs. I keep hoping the next day will be better in terms of pain but it is not necessarily so,” he said, having just had a bad night.

He talked of the tremendous backing from his family and the staff at Mater Dei Hospital.

Transport Malta was strongly supporting Major Ripard, offering him unreserved assistance in whatever he required, which includes a number of things: “I live in a first-floor apartment so I would need access to that, and it would need to be fitted out with a new bathroom...”

“I would also like to see myself driving an automatic car,” he said.

Major Ripard had “ironically and amazingly” just had a meeting with occupational therapists on the importance of driving mobility for persons with disability – a concern that has been foremost on his mind. Yesterday, he confirmed that a couple of days before the explosion, he had met the occupational therapists to discuss the issue he always deemed important – and not just now because he lost his limb.

Little did he know it would soon become his own battle and that these same persons he had met would be treating him in hospital a few days later.

Major Ripard has always been a staunch believer that persons with disability, who are medically fit to drive, should be able to do so in cars that have been technically modified to suit their physical shortcomings.

“I dare say they would be even safer than other drivers,” he continued. “Unfortunately, the Maltese culture is such that persons with disability are second-class citizens in terms of mobility. This is grossly unfair because they need it more than anybody else.”

Major Ripard said he wanted to see driving instructors qualified to teach them and offer tips on how to overcome their disability.

Major Ripard’s children Phyliss Sullivan, Angelica Delia and Peter Ripard, on the occasion of Republic Day yesterday, represented “daddy”, who was made a member of the National Order of Merit – an honour he was informed about after the incident. Major Ripard has served the country for 54 years, 32 in the army and 22 in the Transport Ministry. But his most important achievement was an invitation to be vice-president of the International Commission for Driver Testing (CIECA), one of the world’s most prestigious road safety organisations, as a result of which Malta has been selected as the venue for its congress next May.

“He would have loved to attend the investiture ceremony, and if he had his prosthetic limbs, he would have,” his children said of their “brave, courageous and determined” father.

Major Ripard was improving but had a long way to go and was facing “an uphill struggle”, according to his family. “We suppose that, like everything else, he will take on the challenge... Whatever he sets his mind to, he sees it through,” they said.

The three children collected the medal bestowed upon him in absentia to present it to him at hospital, where his wife Liliana – “his pillar of strength” – and some close family members gathered to celebrate his achievement. At the reception after the ceremony, they were greeted by President George Abela, who spoke to Major Ripard on the phone.

That morning, Ms Sullivan, the eldest daughter, had jotted down on a piece of paper some notes about her father just in case she had to speak about him.

“I just tried to sum up everything we think of him but there is so much more,” she said, describing him as “a man of service, disciplined and a conscientious Maltese citizen”.

Speaking on his behalf, they said he was happy about the recognition and that he would undoubtedly continue to contribute to the country and especially to the more vulnerable members of society.

“My father was always making sure everyone was safe. He was a father figure to many at work,” Ms Sullivan said.

“It has been hard to deal with such an atrocious act against someone you love. But faith has helped us through this difficult time. You have two roads to go down in these situations: you either think positive, or you go down the road that leads to desperation.

“They took his leg, but not his mind,” she said, having chosen the positive path.