Isabelle Bonnici, the mother of construction victim Jean Paul Sofia, has urged a Danish father seeking answers about his son's tragic death not to give up on advocating for his son. 

Lars Neidhardt told Times of Malta that over a year since his son died in Malta in a traffic collision, he has been left in the dark by Maltese authorities. 

Asger Emil Neidhard was a 25-year-old IT entrepreneur who came to Malta in October 2023 to enjoy a holiday with friends. Six days later, he died after he was hit by a Honda Accord driven by a 44-year-old man in the Regional Road tunnels.

“Ten days after the accident, my son arrived in Denmark in a coffin, and we never heard from the Maltese authorities about what happened to him,” Neidhardt said. 

“It’s very frustrating to lose one’s child and not know what happened. Is the case being investigated? Is the driver facing any consequences? We are completely left in the dark.”

Asger Emil Neidhardt died when he was hit by a car in 2023. Photo: Lars Neidhardt

While many commenters expressed solidarity with the father and others speculated that achieving justice would be a long and thankless journey that may not even be successful, one voice of encouragement stood out from the rest. 

Bonnici urged Neidhardt not to give in to negativity and keep fighting to seek the truth about his son's death. 

"Don't give up on getting justice for your son! Keep voicing your frustration, keep emailing, get the media, do whatever it takes... just don't give up!" she said. 

"Not giving up gives others the courage to fight for their rights! If we all give up because of the so many injustices around us we will be giving power to the bullies! Let's not give more power to injustice but fight for more power to justice!"

Bonnici's son, Jean Paul Sofia, died when a building collapsed in Corradino in December 2022 in an incident that left five other people injured. 

Her tenacity and relentlessness in campaigning for justice for her son made Bonnici a household name, as she stood outside parliament and regularly confronted MPs about Jean Paul's case. 

Despite the government's refusal to order a public inquiry into the incident, Bonnici continued to campaign vociferously and mobilised so much public support that Prime Minister Robert Abela was forced to u-turn on the decision, announcing the inquiry just moments before a crowd of thousands turned up in Valletta for a protest vigil. 

The inquiry led to an ongoing reform in the construction industry, with Bonnici regularly speaking out about issues in the sector.