Two men, both called Carmel Spiteri, were today ordered to pay compensation of €15,871 to Transport Malta for damages caused to a pedestrian bridge in Marsa in an incident which caused traffic pandemonium on April 23, 2010.

The incident happened when an excavator being carried on a low trailer hit the bridge at Aldo Moro Road.

The road was closed for several hours, creating a nightmare for motorists as traffic jams developed in the south and central parts of Malta.

The two - the owner and driver of the trailer - were accused of negligence and of also having used a trailer which was not covered by a licence and insurance. The licence had expired four years previously.

The court heard evidence that the excavator arm was not completely lowered and its operator never received formal training on its use. He was never told how the arm could be lowered further when the excavator was on a trailer.

The trailer owner, while having failed to renew the licence for four years, also had pending fines of €3,000, a fact which the court said, showed the way he conducted his business.

The court found that the trailer driver had noted that the excavator arm was not completely lowered but had done nothing about it and had tried to drive under the bridge without taking precautions.

He also lacked experience in this form of transport.

The damages awarded to Transport Malta included €2,749 in costs for traffic diversions.

See more at http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100423/local/crane-collides-with-december-13-road-bridge.304120

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