A foreman at the Marsa Deep Water Quay who was permanently disabled after he was run over by a fork lifter while at work was yesterday awarded €30,354.06 (Lm13,031) in compensation.

The court, presided over by Mr Justice Tonio Mallia, heard that Alfred Attard worked as a foreman at the Marsa quay and, on April 8, 1999, he was responsible to oversee the removal of items from a ship docked there. His colleague, Carmel Grima, was driving the fork lifter and removing metal strips, used to reinforce concrete, from the ship. As Mr Grima was operating the fork lifter he did not realise that Mr Attard was in front of the vehicle and Mr Grima hit Mr Attard and dragged him some metres along the quay.

Mr Attard subsequently sued Mr Grima.

The court heard that when a fork lifter was loaded the driver's frontal view became obstructed and, therefore, it had to be operated by driving in reverse.

However, it transpired that Mr Grima had been driving straight ahead while looking to the left and right in order to have a better view.

The court ruled that Mr Grima had been negligent in the way he drove the fork lifter, adding that driving such a vehicle needed constant and regular attention.

Before handing down judgement, the court took into consideration the fact that Mr Attard was 62 years old when the incident occurred and, therefore, did not have much time left before he retired. The court ordered Mr Grima to pay Mr Attard €30,354.06 in compensation.