Woman who fell in cement-filled trench in Mosta screamed for help as workers looked on

Mosta resident treated for back and neck injuries after falling into 1.5m trench of fresh cement with no signage guiding passers-by. ‘Had I been a child, I would be dead’

Last updated on 12 September 2024, 8:10pm
by Matthew Vella

2 min read

There was no signage on the Triq it-Torri roadworks where cement had been freshly laid into a 1.5m trench. The woman said she screamed for help but roadside workers did not come to her aid

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A Mosta resident has suffered serious back and neck injuries after falling into a 1.5-metre roadworks trench in Triq it-Torri, Motsa, that had just been filled with fresh cement but not yet set hard.

The woman, who is being treated at the Mosta polyclinic, was in shock at the harrowing accident, saying the roadside workers simply watched as she sunk deeper into the cement-filled trench.

The works, carried out by V&C Group, are contracted by Infrastructure Malta.

“As I emerged from my front door, I could not walk on our pavement, which has been dug up due to ongoing works.

“I sidestepped onto the road, thinking the cement-filled area was safe to walk on – there was no signage that the cement had been freshly laid into a 1.5m trench. I fell right in, it was super-deep, and I am in a lot of pain,” the woman told MaltaToday from the Mosta polyclinic, where she was being treated for her injuries.

Covered to her neck in cement, the woman screamed for help. But as she sunk deeper into the trench, she said none of the workers came to her aid.

“Nobody came to assist me. When my children came out of the house to help me, my daughter shouted at the workers – all they did was shout back at her,” the victim of the accident said, still incredulous at the danger she was inflicted upon.

“Had it been an elderly person, or a child, they would have died for sure. I have no idea how I managed to pull myself out. My long dress, down to my ankles, became very heavy with the cement, and I felt it pulling me down. I had cement inside all my vestments.”

Mosta mayor Joseph Gatt contacted the resident, apologising for the incident even though the roadworks are not the responsibility of the council or under its purview. “Gatt apologised for what happened even though this has nothing to do with the council, yet the contrators did not even bother to inform the council of the accident.”

Nationalist MP Ivan Bartolo also called on the victim of the accident, saying he would raise the issue in the House of Representatives.

Matthew Vella, a freelance journalist at MaltaToday, was formerly executive editor at Malt...