Man dies in Attard crash
A young man died early this morning in a car crash in Attard.
The 23-year-old from Mtarfa had been driving a black Toyota Vitz which crashed into a tree on the Rabat road in Attard.
The incident happened at 1.30 a.m. as the car was being driven towards Rabat.
The man was rushed to hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Magistrate Neville Camilleri is leading an inquiry.
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61 Comments
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R Borg
Jan 17th, 15:46
Mill ftit li kont nafu nista nghid li kien tifel ta veru.
Il-Mulej jghatih il-mistieh ta' dejjem.
Kondoljanzi lill-familjari tieghu f'dan il-mument tant difficli.
RIP
Paul Micallef
Jan 17th, 08:17
May he rest in peace
James Wightman
Jan 17th, 07:34
May God grant you peace and peace to your family and friends
Teresa Pace
Jan 16th, 18:48
May he rest in peace. May his family especially his parents find some comfort at this very difficult time. Such a young man a big pity indeed
Emma Grima
Jan 16th, 18:42
RIP. God give peace to his family in this most dreadful hour.
Duncan Cassar
Jan 16th, 18:25
may he rest in peace,imma ghandna bzonn induru naqra ma toroq ta malta u naghmlu naqra crash barriers ghax ghandna naqra lura fil livell ta toroq
A. Ciantar
Jan 16th, 18:40
Ma nafx kemm iridu jmutu nies iktar f'dik it triq biex jghamlu ftit crash barriers... nahseb ghadna qed nistennew il flus mill ewropa.. Xmisthija !!! R.I.P
Kurt Mifsud
Jan 17th, 08:29
Ilha granet bla dawl it-triq ta bejn l-Imtarfa u Hat Attard. U mhux habba l-maltemp kif kien hawn xi gharef qal. Gimghatejn ilu gimgha bnazzi u rih fuq kellna. Il-bierah wara li miet dak alla jbierek regghet kienet mixghula t-triq! Il-pulizija ghandhom jinvestigaw fuq din
Roxanne Falzon
Jan 16th, 17:20
How many people have died in a tragic accident in this road?? ........ I hope action will be take soon before another life is in jeopardy or lost!!
Alfred Brincat
Jan 16th, 17:32
Yes action should be taken and should have been taken long ago to stop drivers over speeding and driving carefully and in a clear state of mind. Dangerous driving is lethal both to the offenders and to third parties.
Alfred Brincat
Jan 16th, 17:44
Many people have traveled through this road everyday for years and never had an accident. Normally accidents happen when there is no traffic on this road.
Aaron Vella
Jan 16th, 17:57
Issa jaghmlu sigar tal-plastic....
Kurt Mifsud
Jan 17th, 08:31
Not just overspeeding, even underspeeding causes accidents. And it's good to have a flat surface road not a roller coaster like this one. How do you expect best tyre grip on those conditions?
Graham Holme
Jan 16th, 15:27
michael scicluna
Today, 10:23
I know we are all in favour of a greener malta, but how many lives have roadside trees taken?:,,,,,,,,,,,,,
We must all beware,killer trees are on the rampage.Is the Oak,more deadlier than the Elm?
Is there a serial killer Birch tree in our midst?
No one is aware of the cause of this unfortunate accident,could be numerous things,brake failure,tyre blowout,over speeding etc,but when will the people of Malta stop blaming every inanimate object under the sun when a vehicle or vehicles collide ?
Eric Falzon
Jan 16th, 15:22
The biggest problem on this island isn't the fact that everyone drives like a lunatic . its the fact that the roads are crap . where on earth do you find a main road surrounded by trees and not a single barrier ? if someone losses control and hits a tree they will almost certainly die ! . most of the roads are not even lit properly . holes everywhere ! . we pay road tax so the roads can be fixed and maintained and nothing happens. this young person who died was my friend . I've known him for years. he will be missed by everyone he ever came into contact with .
James Scerri
Jan 16th, 14:46
R.I.P. to this young man...he'll surely be missed by his family.
This is a right time to call for TM to get guard rails installed wherever streets have trees on the sides. We need to learn from such accidents and take measures for our own security...as accidents do happen.
karl mallia
Jan 16th, 13:09
ALL OF YOU THAT COME UP WITH ASSUMPTIONS ..... STUPID COMMENTS .... AND UNNECESSARY ONES - STOP WASTING TIME AND ENERGY BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT DOING ANY GOOD TO YOU OR ANYONE ELSE, AND INSTEAD JUST SAY A PRAYER OR SPEND A MINUTE OF SILENCE FOR THE VICTIMS FAMILY! WE STARTED THIS YEAR TRAGICALLY AND ONE WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT WE WOULD HAVE LEARNT FROM THE PAST!!
RIP
duane pace
Jan 16th, 13:08
Was a really nice and special guy. always with a smile on his face..
will be missed by all and will allways be in our thoughts and prayers .
To all d wanne b sherlock holmes leaving stupid comments .. get a life and hv some respect ..
Stop judging ! Nobody wants to know what u think ..
A. Grech Grech
Jan 16th, 12:52
Truly a nice guy whose smile will be dearly missed. May you Rest in Peace. The Grech Family x
Mr Nicholas Micallef
Jan 16th, 12:25
Have some respect for the victim's family and for the victim himself.. I don't think that none of you know what happened, so a simple RIP would be sufficient!! RIP brother
Matthew Grima
Jan 16th, 11:55
To anyone blaming over speeding. I've managed (unintentionally) to do a 180 degree turn on 35kmh. Due to some water and what seemed to be diesel on the road. Thankfully, no one was in front of me or right behind me.
The roads in Malta are a mess, the laws with regards to what people throw on such roads are too.
And to anyone who enjoys a lot of soap on their cars when washing them, instead of letting it run down a slippery road, kindly drink the soap.
clive borg
Jan 16th, 11:58
then change your tyres if you managed to turn 180 degree at 35km/hr..
Matthew Grima
Jan 16th, 12:02
35km is a good enough speed to spin you around when on a slippery surface, no matter what tyres you've got.
If you think that 35 is slow. Please jump in front of a car that's moving at that speed. I'll await your results.
Gilbert Caruana
Jan 16th, 12:45
R.I.P to this young man and may God grant him eternal peace. No one knows what happened and I am in no position to judge. BUT... can't help and not notice Mr. Grima's comment. Unless your car is equipped with drift tyres... I can't imagine you performing such a turn. We do have messy roads... but let's try and keep our stories and expiriences credible.
Gerard Said
Jan 16th, 14:08
I completely agree with Mr. Grima's statement. I was riding my bike (bicycle) down the road opposite Manoel Island petrol station on a slightly rainy day. In a straight line at around 25km/h my tyres just went, pitching me onto the ground. The tarmac quality is such that as soon as it gets wet, it becomes glassy smooth and completely lacks grip. Broke my thumb and spent five weeks in a cast. When you consider the healthcare costs as against the cost of surfacing the road properly it still works out cheaper to have decent road surfacing. When is anyone going to be held accountable for the poor workmanship on these roads.
Kurt Mifsud
Jan 17th, 08:38
@Clive Borg - you don't know what you're saying. Haven't you ever noticed the difference in tarmac pattern between the one used in Malta and the one used abroad? How come with just some slight rain the Maltese roads appear glossy? The tarmac pattern should be rough for best tyre grip.
@Gilbert Caruana - My wife managed to do that as well at very low speed. From Mtarfa to Ta Qali, while turning down towards MFCC. I can assure you she doesn't have drift tyres and she wasn't playing with the PS3 either
Matthew Grima
Jan 17th, 12:29
Kurt Mifsud, I forgot to mention that I wasn't driving straight at the time but turning. I assumed some people would be intelligent enough to realise that.
Kurt Mifsud
Jan 18th, 01:03
Matthew - Assume that some people would like to appear intelligent :))
bryan sullivan
Jan 16th, 11:53
so many comments.... just one simple rhetorical question ! would there be accidents on this road , in spite of the murderous roadside trees and lack of lights, were drivers to respect speed limits and road regulations?
vincent a galea
Jan 16th, 11:47
Its not the trees or anything else....
Its the lack of discipline most drivers adopt when behind a wheel.... There is not enough supervision by Traffic Police on our roads day or night!
This would instil a sense of fear and danger in drivers, even if maybe under the influence of drink or other substances....
Alfred Brincat
Jan 16th, 11:44
My condolences to the dear ones of this young man. May he rest in peace
Giov DeMartino
Jan 16th, 11:43
Yes, something HAS to be done. 5000 euro fine for overspeeding, for using your mobile phone while driving and for driving under the influence of alcohol. And confiscation of vehicle for second offence. U taraw kemm jitrabba ghaqal!
M Vella***
Jan 16th, 13:39
Ghandek ragun Mr DeMartino, I agree with you 100%.
Kurt Mifsud
Jan 17th, 08:28
Don't you think that this road needs some serious re-build first? How many more people are going to die there? Need crash barriers and not tree barriers, a flat surfaced road, good tarmac for best tyre grip, and proper lighting. And fines should be given for underspeeding as well and driving in the fast lane at low speed
Kevin Camilleri
Jan 16th, 11:28
What a pitty! Tens of lives have been lost and hundreds have been injured in this stretch or road and this happens because of just one reason: No Guard Rail. If proper Guard Rail is installed, if you have an accident you'll hit the Guard Rail and have a "softer" hit than if you hit a tree. Trees are deadly... along with over speeding.
Peter Murray
Jan 16th, 11:25
I would ask all these apparently wise-after-the-event, retrospective ,and undoubtedly well-meaning,correspondents what action they undertook to highlight this dangerous stretch of road to the appropriate authorities BEFORE such a tragic fatality occurred ?As we are all seemingly experts at resolving the issue and advising AFTER but sadly posthumously in this poor guy's case.May his God grant him eternal peace
Kurt Mifsud
Jan 16th, 11:20
Why have the lights been switched off between Mtarfa and Attard for the last couple of weeks? Is this one of the measures to save the €40m from the budget?
M Farrugia
Jan 16th, 13:58
kurt the lights were not swithed off but due to the heavy rain of the last days a number of street lighting developed faults. At the moment there are many other sectors of the roads which developed a fault. if you travel during the night you will see that part of the Mriehel by pass is off, the same problem is with part of st. paul's by pass. part of Rabat hill between Mtarfa round about and Saqqajja, part of Mtarfa area ans so forth. I appeal to everyone who see part of the street lighting off to phone Enemalta on 21223601 or else the Loal Council were the street lighting is off.
Kurt Mifsud
Jan 17th, 08:23
You expect me to believe this? There was no rain when all this started? 2 weeks ago the weather was more than fine and still no lighting. Yesterday it was raining as hell and COINCIDENTALLY the evening following this fatal accident the lights were back on.
Luke Duncan
Jan 16th, 11:01
@ Antoine Zammit... I'm sure that by tomorrow morning you'll find the road resurfaced with sandpaper by transport malta :/
Joseph Hili
Jan 16th, 10:49
All that is needed is LESS OVERSPEEDING, there and everywhere, and thats all.
Noel Vella
Jan 16th, 11:37
Hasra ma jafux bik Transport Malta ghax tkun useful ghal xi consultancy .... mhux ahjar kelma niqsa u tifhem li hemm il genituri ta dan il vittma hemm barra.
Mr Stephen Farrugia
Jan 16th, 13:14
Iddahhakx Joseph Hili... x int epert.
Christian Mizzi
Jan 16th, 10:28
I do not know how the surface of that particular road is, but I am going to ask this question maybe someone knowledgeable or responsible can answer it.
As far as I know in other countries if the road condition is the reason for any damage (puncture, accident, broken rims,even deaths, etc) the government (if it's a public road) can be held responsible for it. Does this apply to Malta (by law)?
Please do not troll with the usual PN/LP stuff. It's a general question for any government.
Some roads are a total mess! For example the road between Hompesh round about and Zabbar and from Zabbar to Bulebel. I am not talking about 1 pot hole, it looks like a warzone!
michael scicluna
Jan 16th, 10:23
I know we are all in favour of a greener malta, but how many lives have roadside trees taken?:(
Rhiana Agius
Jan 16th, 11:42
Agree it took my brother's life too 12 years ago and you know what its still there with no barriers. A tree has a great force and the only thing is if something happens to someone very important they will do something. The only thing is Nicky was my only brother and he was not driving and it hurts so much. When will we learn
Mr C Camilleri
Jan 16th, 09:43
Anyone wants to place a bet that the only solution this country will come up with will be a SPEED CAMERA with ridiculously low speeds ?
Cause up till now it has always been solved this way ... slow them ALL DOWN just in case.
Been going up and down that road 30 years ... never had any problem. I think that the news article should include more information because if there was no pot hole, no oil and no nothing I find it hard to blame the street.
Jay Oatmon
Jan 16th, 16:25
I agree whatever the roads are the driver needs to adjust to the road and conditions, and pay attention at all times, and no mobile while driving.
F. Pisani
Jan 16th, 09:13
This is a very dangerous road and something needs to be done here. Not speed cameras but prepare line indications, more light, and a GOOD grad rail!
Ryan Dalli
Jan 16th, 09:00
23, a very young age - just my age.
Something has to be done, we have too much cars, little to no patience, and horrible roads - the perfect combination for similar road accidents.
May he rest in God's peace.
I hope that his death will mean something to policy makers and act swiftly.
Elaine Compagno
Jan 16th, 08:58
Last night, while driving from Marsa to Attard via the Mriehel bypass, I could see various stretches of recently resurfaced tarmac, and I made a few observations. Like how the recent tarmac was matt in the light, and the old tarmac was shiny like leather. There seemed to be absolutely no water on the recent tarmac, while the old tarmac retained water and looked like a mirror, but I guess rain fell on the whole road. I could hear the difference as my (brand new) tyres made contact with the different surfaces. They must be factors that effect the way tyres would behave on each surface.
I'm no expert and don't know much on the quality versus the mixture of tarmac, but giving a guess, I would think the quality of the surface of our roads deteriorates quickly. Either because of what is used, or the elements. Or both.
RIP to the victim and condolences to the family. He was too young to die.
Joseph Ellul
Jan 16th, 23:25
You are very right.
The quality of tar used is too oily and the other components (solids) are too small. To understand the way road surfacing is done and how it ends is all about surface area of solids compared to tar viscosity and temp at which the mix is worked and applied at time of laying.
Also there is the question of hardness of the solids.
I would suggest that the Maltese authorities ask the Australian government to supply them with specifics on road surfacing. There is also a reclaim system, where the old surface is removed by a gauging machine, remixed with new material and laid again as new surface.
I cannot go into specifics but I can tell you that Malta needs some real help in dealing with contracting, short cuts and shoddy work practices that cost many lives.
I know, I lived and worked there for 13 years. Only God knows how I survived.
Giovanni Rizzo
Jan 16th, 08:53
Din it-triq regghet swiet hajja ohra ta' zaghzugh fil-fjur ta' hajtu.May he rest in peace.
joe vella
Jan 16th, 08:47
and mind your driving!!
it is easy to blame the road surface etc, and yes you are right it is atrocious, as are most of our roads!
but if you use the road frequently you know what to expect so precautions are necessary
unfortunately the level of driving has deteriorated incredibly, one need only observe the number of crashes and skids when there is a shower
drivers are as much responsible for their driving as are other conditions
J. Debono
Jan 16th, 08:31
My deepest sympathy to this person's family. May God give you the strength to carry on.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risk_compensation
This is an interesting reading, especially for those people who will blame the roads, the rain, etc.
John Tabone
Jan 16th, 08:30
Codolences to the young man's family....When are crash barriers going to be placed along this road....about time someone sues transport Malta for damages..
Antoine Zammit
Jan 16th, 08:00
Its the same spot where I crashed back two years ago.. Something needs to be done for the safety of commuters, along this stretch of road... And I don't mean placing a pair of local wardens, or a motorbike cop hidden behind the sidewall, ready to chase or stop anyone for petty offences. First upgrade the road surface. Please take note Transport Malta!!
Giov DeMartino
Jan 16th, 08:42
Yes, something HAS to be done. 5000 euro fine for overspeeding, using mobile phone while driving and driving under the influence of alcohol. And confiscation of vehicle on second offence. Imbaghad taraw kemm ghaqal inrabbu.
Neil Collins
Jan 16th, 10:20
actually you will find that it is the "petty offences" that lead to accidents and eventually to deaths.
My sincere condolences to this young mans family. A terrible waste
Peter Murray
Jan 16th, 11:38
not when a great many serious offences are overlooked to simply impose and fine petty offence pereptrators, as you will find is the case here,actually it doesn't !
Neil Collins
Jan 16th, 12:47
@ peter
I was stating a fact. What offences the Police choose to prosecute has nothing to do with the facts. Most accidents are caused by momentary lapses of consentration, or miscalculations/errors of judgement. The seriousness of the bad driving does not always equate to a serious ending.
But you are correct in that the worst offence of all - "Drink Driving" which probably accounts for a major portion of all accidents between 1am and 4am is somehow accepted on this island as being OK. Which is something the Maltese need to get to grips with by themselves.
But please they is no such thing as "petty" offences. There are serious offences and very serious offences.