A steep Paceville ramp that left a woman in a wheelchair four months ago remains dangerous, despite warnings of legal action by the local council.
Elaine ZerafaLast month, Elaine Zerafa, 74, spoke to this newspaper about an incident in January, when she slipped and fell on a newly built ramp on S Privitera Street.
She damaged her left elbow and right shoulder, while her foot was displaced from her ankle by nearly two inches, and fractured in two places.
WATCH: Paceville pavement left dancer in a wheelchair
Ms Zerafa, a dancer for more than seven decades, spent five weeks in a wheelchair, and does not know if she will be able to return to her lifelong passion.
She has attended numerous physiotherapy sessions since then and still has difficulty climbing down the stairs.
Alterations would be carried out
Making it clear that she was not after compensation, the woman called for pavements to be made safer.
At the beginning of last month, the St Julian’s local council told the Times of Malta that private contractors had reinstated the pavement after building a new block. A meeting with the company’s architects had been scheduled for that same week.
Since then, a short metal railing has been installed above the ramp, however, when the newspaper went on site again on Saturday, the handrail was gone. The only noticeable difference was that the ramp seemed to have been sanded down, possibly to make it less slippery.
Ms Zerafa said that pedestrians still had to get off the pavement to avoid the “dangerous ramp”.
Contacted again, the local council told the Times of Malta that following the meeting between the mayor and the company, it had been decided that “structural alterations” would be carried out on the pavement.
The council also gave the company until May 5 to do these alterations.
The council said that in the meantime, non-skid paint had been applied to the area and a handrail was installed as a temporary solution.
“It is the intention of the council that if works have not been done by May 5, legal action will be taken so that the company remedies the situation.”