The 18-year old Maltese woman who lost her life while on holiday in Valencia last week was not run over crossing a motorway but was hit by a car while enjoying a stroll along a quiet road in a natural park, her devastated uncle said yesterday.

Sarah Agius was following her father on the path reserved for pedestrians, according to Lino Agius.

The two – who loved travelling together – were visiting the park on their last day in Valencia. They were heading to a bus stop on the same side of the road when all of a sudden, an 81-year old Spanish man driving a Mercedes, coming to the opposite direction, ran over Sarah, Mr Agius said. Her father Charlò only avoided the impact by jumping into the bushes.

Her uncle said that in his declaration to the police, the driver admitted that he had seen the couple before hitting Ms Agius.

A photo of Ms Agius was taken by her father minutes before the accident, showing the road where the tragic accident took place.

Last week it was reported that the young woman died on the spot when she was run over by a car as she crossed a motorway to reach a bus stop. Her family says the scant information released about the accident included the wrong translation from the Spanish of the word “highway”.

“My brother is not crazy. He would not cross a highway carelessly,” Mr Agius insisted, recalling his disbelief when on the news bulletin he heard that his brother had crossed an “autostrada”.

Mr Agius expressed his disappointment at the “immediate criticism” that blanketed the tragedy, saying the family was hurt that the public had blamed the victims “for their carelessness”.

On Tuesday, Mr Agius met his brother in Valencia. He said the family had opened a civil case against the driver.

Ms Agius’ body was brought to Malta yesterday and her funeral will be held tomorrow. As soon as Ms Agius turned three, father and daughter used to set off to a foreign destination every year.

Her uncle spoke fondly of her: “An only child, she loved being in her father’s company and they both loved exploring different countries.

“Sarah is deeply missed by friends and relatives. As the tragic news spread on Monday, her classmates inundated her Facebook page with messages of disbelief,” he added, his voice trailing off.

Ms Agius, a communications student, was expected to start her second year at University today.