Off-duty ambulance driver films debris falling from 'leaking' truck
Owner of truck says material was gone by the time he revisited site
Video footage captured by an off-duty private ambulance driver shows debris leaking from a dumper truck travelling on a road on the outskirts of Żurrieq.
The footage was shot at 3pm on Friday and shows building materials leaking from the truck, which at first glance appears to be uncovered.
It was filmed on the northbound carriage of Blue Grotto Avenue, as the driver behind beeped his horn in an attempt to attract the truck’s attention.
Frank Zahra, who shot the video and posted the footage to social media, told Times of Malta he had been motivated to share the video to highlight the danger posed to other drivers, especially motorcyclists, and bring it to the attention of authorities.
Sean Parnis, the owner of the trucking company, Ta Parnis, rebuffed suggestions that the material was hazardous, saying it was a mix of sand and water.
He insisted the truck was covered using brown material that matched the colour of the materials being transported. Transporting building materials in uncovered trucks is illegal.
'A disaster' for motorcyclists
Zahra described the truck as “very full and kept leaking”, explaining he had followed it for around five minutes and repeatedly tried to get the driver’s attention.
Describing the falling material – which he said appeared to be stones mixed with water – as a “disaster” for others travelling on the road, Zahra said that as an ambulance driver, he saw a “lot of accidents”, adding such debris was especially hazardous for motorcyclists.
He contacted Żurrieq Local Council about the incident, which then passed the complaint to the police. Officers then contacted Parnis about the incident.
Parnis confirmed he had been contacted by the police but said the “sand-water mixture” had already disappeared when he visited the area.
This is not the first time material has leaked from a construction vehicle in recent days; on Wednesday, a truck spilt its cargo of construction debris across Tower Road in Sliema, leaving rubble and building materials scattered across the road.