A motorist has been ordered to pay compensation of €6,074 to a pensioner he hit with his car as he was walking on the pavement.

The accident happened near the old airport terminal in Luqa while the pensioner, Alfred Zammit, was on his daily walk from Luqa to Birżebbuġa in May 2015.

A car driven by Anthony Grima mounted the pavement and severely injured him, causing a compound fracture to one of his legs which consigned him to a wheelchair for many months.

Mr Zammit recounted how the incident left him with a permanent disability and changed his life. He also listed expenses incurred as a result of the incident, including replacement of a bathroom so that he could use a wheelchair there.

The court upheld his claims, finding that he suffered an eight per cent permanent disability.

In considering compensation, the court said that apart from actual costs, it was also considering loss of future earnings, even though the victim had been a pensioner for 12 years and his pension was unaffected.

It noted that the way he went about life had changed as a consequence of the accident and he was having to make more spending than before, owing to his partial disability.  

It therefore ordered payment of compensation of €6,074.