Woman remains in permanent vegetative state two years after bike incident

A court presided by Magistrate Edwina Grima, heard evidence from a consultant neurologist how a 22 year-old woman remains in a permanent vegetative state two years after sustaining a severe brain trauma in a traffic accident.

Angie Bajada from Swieqi remains permanently paralysed and without any reaction, despite undergoing numerous delicate operations to her brain.

Mother of a very young daughter, Angie Bajada had slammed her head violently against the stone slabs of a roundabout at Luqa's Garibaldi Avenue, when she flew off a motorcycle on the night of May 17, 2010.

Angie Bajada was a pillion rider on a Yamaha motorcycle driven by 36 year-old Joseph Farrugia from Pembroke, who stands charged with causing grievious bodily harm to the woman through negligent driving.

From the evidence produced during the case, it transpired that Farrugia had lost control of his motorbike, hit the centre-strip and threw his pillion rider off the bike.

Traffic experts testified that Farrugia was driving at excessive speed.

Angie Bajada was on her first night out with another girlfriend of hers in seven months after giving birth to her daughter. After meeting her friends in Paceville, she had been convinced by the accused to go for a ride on the motorcycle.

Neurologist Josanne Aquilina who testified on the woman's condition told the court that Angie Bajada spent seven weeks at Mater Dei's Intensive Therapy Unit, after parts of her skull had to be removed in order to allow the pressure to her brain subsided.

She underwent intensive surgery whereby excessive fluids were flushed from her brain, and later underwent intensive rehabilitation, with no signs of positive recovery.

In all, Angie Bajada had spent seven months in hospital, and her diagnosis remains in a permanent vegetative state.

According to the consultant, the young woman is permanently disabled. She is unable to communicate, be aware of events around her, or feed herself.

The case continues.