Another tragedy struck on our roads, this time in Triq Aldo Moro, Marsa, on Wednesday morning. Commuters who were driving by or at the scene when then the accident occurred watched in horror as the tragedy unfolded before their eyes: a DAF truck hit the centre strip, crashing into lamp posts before overturning onto either direction, dropping what looked like an entire skip, heavily loaded with scrap metal, onto the opposing lane.   

Worse still, a food delivery driver fell victim in this horrific tragedy. A 28-year-old Nepali died when some of the metal debris and a pole came crashing on him while he was going about doing his job on a motorbike. A job that gives him a salary just enough to provide him with a roof over his head and food on his plate.

Of course, this ugly accident caused ripples of heavy traffic all over the island.

I will not go into how this resulting chaos should have been controlled as that is in the hands of our local traffic experts. Triq Aldo Moro is an arterial road used by many commuters.

I can only but imagine the frustration of many who were stuck in traffic for several hours following the accident.

I feel sick to think many would dismiss it as, well, he was just a foreigner working and residing in Malta

I was not driving at the time but, coming from one who,  like everyone else, hates being trapped in traffic jams, I could only just imagine what an inconvenience this must have caused to so many. To begin with, anyone urgently requiring to go to hospital, others having to catch a plane, parents picking up their children from school. The list goes on…

Furthermore, just one look at the truck and the potential danger it imposed due to the fact that it seemed to be overloaded with scrap metal, not to mention the total weight of the contents of the skip, it was an accident that was bound to happened.

We have all driven behind similar trucks loaded to the brim with stone, limestone, rubble uncovered or covered with just a piece of cloth, with debris constantly falling onto the road, thereby endangering commuters driving anywhere close to them.

The scene of the fatal accident in Marsa on Wednesday morning. Photo: Jonathan Borg

But, above all, this is not just about our frustration at being stuck in a traffic jam or the possible negligence of the truck driver. This is about a life lost.

I feel sick to think many would dismiss it as, well, he was just a foreigner working and residing in Malta. The indifferent attitude taken by many nowadays.

Ajay Shrestha was in the wrong place at the wrong time, or as, many would put it, this was his grim fate.

Times of Malta reported that he has been living in Malta since 2018 and went on to report that he had come to the island “with many dreams”.

He was a human being just like all of us. What saddened me was that many social media posts focused on the traffic jams and disruptions, and nothing about the victim.

I am quite sure that if the victim was a Maltese national, social media platforms would have been inundated with posts declaring their sympathy towards him and his family. 

This is not just about social media but I feel that as a nation and its people, we need to learn to show more respect and empathy towards each other, regardless of our nationality, status, wealth, moral and religious beliefs.

Over time and given our fast-paced and very oft stressful life, we forget the importance of these values and tend to just think of ourselves and how this accident affected us on a personal level.

To Ajay Shrestha, may he rest in peace and may his family find solace during this inconsolable and tragic time.

Stephanie Mizzi, freelance writer and photographer