One of the men hit when a Porsche spun into the crowd during the ill-fated 2015 edition of the Paqpaqli ghall-Istrina charity car show said that his only thought was to find his girlfriend and make sure she was safe.
The couple, who since got married and moved to the UK, were testifying on Friday via a video link during the continuation of the compilation of evidence against Paul Bailey, the owner of the Porsche Spyder, alongside the former members of the Paqpaqli ghall-Istrina organising committee.
Darren Scerri recalled how on that afternoon of October 4, 2015 he had been walking behind the barriers in the opposite direction of the white Porsche that was doing a run at the time.
He had not been looking directly at the racing car when suddenly he heard the screeching of tyres and saw the car heading towards them.
“It was very fast and I had no time to react,” the witness said, explaining how he was suddenly dragged along by the Porsche for a couple of seconds, ending up on the ground close to the vehicle at the spot where it came to a standstill.
Although shocked and battered, the man had managed to stand up, his immediate thought being that of being reunited with his girlfriend.
As he got to his feet, the driver of the crashed Porsche had got out of the car, holding his head, saying “I’m so sorry!”
Read: Paqpaqli victims recount the horror as supercar span out of control
Describing his ordeal, the witness recalled how he had suffered a knock on the head, bruising and also leg injuries which took some month to heal.
His wife subsequently testified as to how she had seen the Porsche in the last seconds before impact.
“I tried to run off but the car hit me. I realised that something had happened but I only managed to turn around before being hit on the back,” Ms Scerri recalled, saying that she suffered bruising to her head.
The couple had not actually been watching the race but had been walking past the static display, moving behind the spectators along the track when the accident occurred.
The woman ended up leaning with her back to the crashed vehicle. Although she could not see her husband she could hear him calling out to her.
This detached chicane had contributed to what had happened immediately after the Porsche lost control
Court-appointed expert Martin Bajada testified about his role in coordinating the tasks of various experts appointed by the inquiring magistrate after the accident.
A team of German experts, all specifically knowledgeable in the design of the Porsche 918, were appointed by the magistrate to assist the court experts in the various tests carried out on the crashed vehicle.
Their knowledge was indispensable in downloading data from the car which had gone into crash mode and needed to be re-started, Dr Bajada explained. Even the removal of a rear wheel took some three hours since it required specific instructions.
Dr Bajada also explained how he had spotted a loose chicane which was not tied to the rest and had reported that this detached chicane had “contributed to what had happened immediately after the Porsche lost control.”
The compilation continues in October.
Police inspectors Josric Mifsud, Silvio Magro and Hubert Cini are prosecuting.
Lawyers Giannella DeMarco and Stephen Tonna Lowell are counsel to Paul Bailey.
Lawyer Joe Giglio is counsel to Tonio Darmanin. Lawyer Stefano Filletti is counsel to Brian Gatt and Julian Manara.
Lawyer Arthur Azzopardi is defence counsel for Ian Cilia Pisani, Kevin Perry and Chris Sultana. Other members of the Paqpaqli team are being assisted by lawyers Michael Sciriha, Raphael Fenech Adami and Albert Zerafa.
Michael Grech, Shazoo Ghaznavi, Franco Debono, Amadeus Cachia, Roberto Montalto, Alessia Zammit Mackeon, Jason Azzopardi and Reuben Farrugia are among the lawyers appearing parte civile for the victims.