After accidentally hitting an elderly woman who walked onto the road from behind a telephone box, the last thing David Abela expected was to be charged with involuntary homicide five years later.

Elena Vella, 75, died five days after the accident.

Mr Abela, 47, was yesterday acquitted of causing her death after a medical expert testified that her injuries were not usually life threatening but pain medication and her medical history had caused complications leading to the death.

The accident, on February 20, 2006, was witnessed by a policeman standing guard at Bank of Valletta in Balluta Bay, St Julian’s.

Mr Abela was reversing out of a parking spot when Police Constable Kevin Schembri ran over and ordered him to stop because he had hit a woman. He got out of the car and found Ms Vella on the ground. An ambulance was called and she was taken to hospital and found to be suffering, among other things, from a fractured collarbone.

Mr Abela insisted in court that he had looked in the rear view mirror before manoeuvring and, on seeing nothing, he started reversing his car. In fact, PC Schembri said that the woman walked onto the road from behind a large red telephone box when she was hit.

Magistrate Audrey Demicoli ruled that the accident occurred when Ms Vella herself caused a “sudden emergency” by walking onto the road. Joe Giglio appeared for Mr Abela.