A woman who fractured her arm when she fell in a 'pool of oil' on the car deck of a Gozo Channel vessel this morning filed a judicial protest holding the company responsible for her injuries.

Stella Vella said in her protest, signed by lawyer Stefano Filletti, that the incident happened on board the Gaudos last Friday on the 7.30 a.m. trip.

She said she fell in a 'pool of oil' left by the crew, fractured her arm and bruised several parts of her body. During the incident, she had also been in danger of being hit by cars which were being parked there.

Ms Vella said that her relatives saw Gozo Channel employees wash the oil off the deck two trips later. This, she said, confirmed how dangerous the oil was.

Following this incident the crew could not offer any first aid and only placed her on a chair and gave her some ice from the bar.

Ms Vella said she fainted with pain and shock and was informed that the crew had called for an ambulance from Gozo hospital.

But in the most irresponsible manner, the crew told the hospital that a passenger had fainted and, as a result, the ambulance did not have the necessary equipment or people to correctly transport her to the hospital.

Ms Vella claimed that Gozo Channel and its crew were negligent and acted irresponsibly. She said it was obvious that the ship was not equipped for such an eventuality and she held the company responsible.