'Jewel' who wanted to be a policewoman

A 17-year-old girl whose life was tragically ended in a traffic accident on Sunday night wanted to become a policewoman, her mother Mary Carmen Housley said yesterday.

Surrounded by friends and relatives, inconsolable and sobbing continuously, Mrs Housley and her husband Dave spoke proudly about her daughter Emma Marie.

"She was full of life and always had plans about what to do next. She had passed her 'O' levels but she had failed her Maltese exam and had to take a re-sit.

"She was preparing for it to show what she was worth and as she was waiting to turn 18 to try to join the police force, she had planned on following a course as a gym instructor not to waste the time between now and then.

"But this was not to be as her life was abruptly cut short," her mother said.

Miss Housley, who had just turned 17, on August 12, died on the spot while her second-cousin Graziella Fenech, 13, also of Qormi, was still in imminent danger of dying yesterday after they were run over by a Ford Focus driven by a 23-year old man from Tarxien.

Various sectors of the media yesterday afternoon reported that Miss Fenech had died but sources said she was in a very critical condition and in imminent danger of losing her life.

The accident took place at 9.15 p.m. on Sunday. The two were crossing the road at Triq is-Sebh, the Imriehel by-pass, on the way to see a sick friend. Some other youths who were with them but who had crossed the same road sometime before heard the sound of screeching tyres and returned to find the girls on the ground, Mrs Housley said.

There were long brake marks on the road, close to a statue of Our Lady that had been erected to mark a very bad crash in which the driver had survived. The site has seen many other accidents in the past.

Proudly holding a photo of her child hugging their grand-daughter Liesa, Mrs Housley remarked that "becoming an aunt was her proudest moment".

"As soon as we learnt that her brother Craig, who lives in Belgium, had a baby, she did not want to wait to see her and booked a flight immediately. I had told her to wait until we all went later this month, but she wanted to go and when she arrived she sent me a message on my mobile phone saying 'Yupp, she's in my arms'.

"I'm so glad I did not keep her from going last month. She would not have seen her otherwise," Mrs Housley said.

Other relatives and friends recalled how Miss Housley went to pick up all her young cousins to take them to the cinema on Cinema Day or to take them to Valletta for Carnival.

"She was the only daughter after two boys. She was a jewel and we kept referring to her as daddy's little girl. That's what we will be singing at her funeral today," her mother said.

Miss Housley's funeral will take place at St George's Parish church, Qormi, today at 2.30 p.m.

Six other traffic fatalities this year

On January 10, two-year-old Hayley Briffa, of San Gwann died in her push chair after being hit by a van while her mother was walking with her on the pavement. Her mother suffered serious injuries in the accident.

Fr Charles Caruana, a former rector at St Aloyisius College, died on January 28, two days after he was hit while on a zebra crossing on his way to inaugurate the Jesuit house Dar is-Sliem.

On April 2, 21-year-old Roderick Grima from Mosta, died in a car collision that took place at Pwales, in St Paul's Bay.

Brian Vella, a 29-year-old from Qawra, died on April 5, almost a month after he skidded with his bike and crashed into a pole at Burmarrad.

On April 7, Roza Cassar, who had been hit by a bus while crossing the road in Gzira the day before, succumbed to her injuries and died.

A 26-year-old Algerian was killed when he was run over at Msida on August 13.