An Enemalta employee severely injured during an aviation fuel blast at the airport 14 years ago has been awarded more than €85,000 in compensation.

Louis Borg Falzon, who was 41 at the time, was working with colleagues of the tank cleaners group within the petroleum division and was emptying aviation fuel from a tank to clean it on June 14, 1999.

The fuel was being deposited into a mobile tanker when one of the compartments caught fire, causing a jet of flames to hit him head on, knocking him to the ground.

Mr Borg Falzon suffered burns to his face and arms and serious neck and back injuries because of the fall, leading to an 11 per cent disability, the court heard.

He spent six months in hospital.

Testifying in the case, his wife Doreen said that a year after going back to work he had to stop again because of the persistent pain and went out on sick leave.

After going back to work he had to stop again because of the persistent pain

He was certified as having depression and besides taking medicine for his physical pain he was also taking pills prescribed by his psychiatrist.

Mr Borg Falzon testified that this led to problems at work as he could not cope with the laborious nature of the job and would end up being helped by his colleagues.

He could not expect to get any promotions because to qualify, one would have to be perfectly healthy, he said.

In the judgment, Madam Justice Lorraine Schembri Orland said that her considerations were limited to the computation of the damages sustained by Mr Borg Falzon as the First Hall of the Civil Court had in 2002 found Enemalta to be solely responsible for the accident.

She heard how he had been a senior fitter and was earning some €1,000 every four weeks, and calculated the amount due according to documentation presented which ended in 2005.

She awarded him €85,328.88 in damages which also included the amount spent on medicines and doctors’ bills.