Transport Malta officers hurt in 'avoidable' road accident
Transport Minister Chris Bonett said the incident 'made me very angry'
Updated 2.30pm
Two Transport Malta enforcement officers were injured in a "serious" accident on Tuesday night which may have been caused by other people's carelessness, the Transport Minister said.
The accident happened at around midnight when a car crashed into the officers' car as they supervised traffic at the Santa Lucija tunnel, where a culvert was being cleaned.
It is understood that the motorist involved had previous brushes with the law over reckless driving.
Transport Minister Chris Bonett expressed solidarity with the officials.
"This was an incident which made me very angry. It appears that it happened as a result of recklessness and a lack of respect on our roads. It could easily have been avoided," the minister wrote on Facebook.
He said that while legislation, awareness campaigns and enforcement were important, it was also crucial that those laws and regulations were observed and motorists showed mutual respect.
The police said the accident happened when a BMW 120 driven by a 24-year-old man from Nadur and a Mercedes E-class driven by a 21-year-old man from Marsascala collided and the Mercedes crashed into Transport Malta's Peugeot 208, which was stationary. That car then crashed into a Ford Transit which was also stationary.
The officials were taken to hospital for treatment. The minister wished them a quick recovery.
Police subsequently pressed charges against the driver, who is also facing charges in relation to two separate reckless driving cases, one of which killed a motorcyclist. He pleaded guilty to all charges and will be sentenced at a later date.