Traffic accident victim succumbs to injuries

Silvio Abela

Jun 4th 2011, 06:08

@To all
Please consider that this man had a family and stop offering silly advice. You should all send your sincerest condolences to his family and if you need to bicker just seek your local MP. Do you really think that people that matter scour these blogs for wise advice?

If he was the man I knew, my sincerest condolences to the rest of his brothers and sisters. He was a very ordered and precise person with a very keen sense for safety, since if he's the man I knew, he was trained by one of the best services in the world.

He was from Msida, and he lived in a part where thousands of us pass everyday so traffic safety was a natural thing for him. So please stop bickering about pavements, roads and pedestrian crossings.

Offer your prayers for his family. All other words are superfluous since nobody here knows what happened and no one will ever know for sure. We are not on CSI.

Condolences to his family and may the Lord give him eternal rest near his departed family and friend/s.

Ms B Cassar

Jun 3rd 2011, 15:54

I feel sorry for this man losing his life and to anyone injured however I feel that I have to agree with all the others below. Without entering in this particular case, this story reminded me of two particular incidents that happened to me.

Once a boy on a bike came out from behind a truck and cross the road. I never even had the time or possibility of seeing him coming. I stopped away from him just a few centimetres and I was in total shock while he didin't even realise what he did.

The same applies in Hamrun - strada rjali- especially in the afternoons and on Saturday mornings. It's not the first time that I almost hit people. During these particular times of the day Hamrun is a nightmare with people crossing the road left right and centre without even giving any attention to the cars passing by. It actually gives me a headache when I pass from this road with all those vehicles and pedestrians crossing from one side to the other uncontrolled.

Secondly I remember the many times that I had pedestrians crossing the road on a GREEN light. God forbid from hitting one of them. Any driver doesn't expect that people cross the road on a green light.

I acknowledge that there are many drivers 'dardira' on the road however one has to take note that it is not always the driver's fault. Actually few pedestrians seems to realise that it takes distance to stop a car, even if you are driving slowly. Besides even though there is a zebra crossing and/or lights, the pedestrian should always ensure that the cars have stopped before crossing. It's not the first time that I was a pedestrian myself and even though I was on a zebra cross or lights, the cars just keep going through without stopping. So it takes a little bit of more responsibility in this. I remember my mother's aunt who was 87. She used to cross the road irresponsibly and she used to say "dak jarani" referring to the driver. Actually this is the mentality of many elderly especially those who do not know what it means to drive a car thus thinking that it takes a second and the car is stopped where you want it.

Many pedestrians are also lazy. It's not the first time that I see people crossing the road irresponsibly when few feet away there are the lights and/or zebra crossing. Have you ever seen those people crossing bieb il-bombi in the morning? It's actually very scary what they do. Then the first one to be blamed is always the driver which in some cases it's really unfair.

Mr Peter Korsten

Jun 3rd 2011, 15:19

Very sad news. If anybody is listening: an Attard by-pass is urgently required. There are too many cars crossing the village every day, and in the evening this road turns into a racetrack. This will not be the last fatality.

Ms Francesca Abela

Jun 3rd 2011, 14:05

Although I do not know the man I am sorry for him and his family. Granted that there are some very irresponsible drivers around however, one has no excuse for not using the 'zebra crossing' or wait at the traffic lights, if there are any. A word of advice however to all pedestrians, even if you intend crossing the road at traffic lights or crossings, do not just dash out but wait until all cars come to a halt. Many a time I was about to cross on zebra crossings or traffic lights and the cars/buses went through the red light.