Court: Motorcyclist charged over crash which left pillion rider paralysed
A motorcyclist who crashed into a roundabout almost two years ago, leaving his girl pillion rider almost completely paralysed for life, appeared before Magistrate Edwina Grima yesterday, charged with negligence and causing serious and permanent injuries to the young woman. Angela Bajada, today 22 of Swieqi, was riding pillion on 17 May, 2010 at about 1.10am, when she ended up in hospital fighting for her life. The rider, Joseph Farrugia, 36 of Pembroke, hit a centre strip in Luqa as he was going up Garibaldi Road in the direction of Sta Lucija. He lost control of his machine at the last bend before the roundabout in Triq il-Kunsill tal-Ewropa and the couple were thrown off the bike and landed against the roundabout. The accident left them both seriously injured, with Ms Bajada in danger of dying. Dr Josianne Aquilina told the court there was little chance that Ms Bajada would continue recovering. Ms Bajada had spent four months in hospital where part of her skull had to be removed. She is still on medication, after neurological tests and a long period of rehabilitation.(independent.com.mt) The indictment is only justified if the injuries are extremely heavy.
Air Malta does not envisage further route reductions
Air Malta said this evening that its summer schedule already reflects a 20 per cent reduction in capacity referred to in the European Commission's decision published on February 21. The airline said that in its summer schedule, starting March 25, it was due to operate around 150 weekly flights to and from 30 destinations. Consistently loss-making routes were removed from the schedule but both Heathrow and Gatwick routes were retained as the airline considered them vital and they contribute significantly to the Air Malta network. Air Malta said that in line with the restructuring plan presented last year to the Commission, its summer schedule reflected the 20 per cent capacity reduction and no further reduction in flights or slots was envisaged. The airline said that the reduction came about through the subleasing of two of its 12 aircraft as part of its restructuring efforts. Chief Executive Peter Davies said: “There is a misconception due to the timing of the publication of the Commission decision last February. In fact this refers to a rescue and restructuring process which commenced in November 2010, when Air Malta received the first government support. Restructuring of the Company’s operations started immediately thereafter."(timesofmalta.com) It's still sad to see a Maltese airline launches a restructuring plan.
Tears as families identify bus dead
Relatives of the 28 people killed when a bus crashed inside a Swiss tunnel faced a heartbreaking task today - identifying the bodies, most of them children, ahead of their repatriation. Family members, some sobbing, were driven from a hotel in the southern Swiss town of Sion to the nearby morgue, where the bodies of some of the 22 schoolchildren and six adults killed in Tuesday's crash were being kept. "Where possible, the bodies will be shown to the families," said police spokesman Jean-Marie Bornet. "In some cases this is not possible because the bodies are too badly injured." Afterward, relatives visited the site of the crash inside the Tunnel de Geronde near the Swiss town of Sierre. Family members carried flowers to the site where 21 Belgians and seven Dutch were killed. The Belgian tourist bus carrying 52 people hit a wall less than an hour after heading home from a skiing holiday in the Swiss Alps. Twenty-four other children were hurt, some seriously.(timesofmalta.com) This accident is a true tragedy.