A 24-year-old man driving a high-powered motorbike died in a bad accident on the hill near Għar Dalam in Birżebbuġa yesterday afternoon. The young man, Daniel Farrugia, was riding up the hill on his Kawasaki Ninja when he was involved in a collision with a white Peugeot 106 on his lane, going in the same direction.
The bike careened towards the pavement while the rider was catapulted underneath a maroon Hyundai coming from the opposite direction. The police said he died on the spot.
The other people involved, a couple in the Peugeot and a man in the Hyundai, were largely unharmed although the Peugeot driver had to be treated for shock and slight injury to the nose.
The young biker from Birżebbuġa was an apprentice technician with ST Microelectronics and was an active volunteer with the Transplant Support Group after himself becoming the recipient of a cornea in 2003.
Shocked, the president of the group, Alfred Debattista said Mr Farrugia was a very hard working volunteer offering support to people who were about to undergo surgery similar to his.
"It's devastating news for us, we were preparing for our usual Christmas gathering and he was the one doing most of the work. We have now obviously cancelled everything," Mr Debattista said.
Magistrate Tonio Micallef Trigona is carrying out an inquiry assisted by court experts Mario Buttigieg, Mario Cassar and Joe Mifsud. Inspector Priscilla Caruana is investigating.
Earlier in the day two other men suffered serious injuries in separate traffic-related accidents.
One accident involved a 43-year-old man from Tarxien who was hit by a car in St Andrea Street in St Julians at about 4.30 a.m. The man fractured some bones.
Another accident took place later on the Birkirkara bypass where a 21-year-old man was also suffering serious injuries after he lost control of his vehicle and crashed into an electricity pole, the police said.
The accident occurred at approximately 5.30 a.m. After being taken to hospital, the man, who had serious facial wounds, was confirmed not to be in critical condition, police said. His vehicle sustained considerable damage.
Any danger posed by the damaged electricity pole was neutralised by Enemalta workers who were called to the scene, the police added.
Police are conducting investigations.