The husband of a woman who died when her motorcycle skidded on spilt olives last month believes that the causes of all traffic accidents should be made public if we are to learn from past mistakes.

“People should know how accidents happened. Had I not published the photos [of spilt olives on the road] there would have been a big question mark and the public would not know what happened and why in my wife’s case. We need to know what happened so we can learn from it,” Aldo Lombardi said.

Aldo lost his “wife and best friend” Marie Claire Lombardi on October 22. She died when she lost control of her motorbike and fell at a roundabout on Mdina Road, Rabat, on her way home after work at about 5.30pm. She was the 20th road fatality of the year. 

Under the Maltese system, whenever there is a traffic fatality a magisterial inquiry is held. The inquiry can lead to a person being charged in court months or years later – but the conclusions of the inquiry are not made public.

There is no system that collects information about the causes of accidents – a gap flagged in a recent study published in the Malta Medical Journal. The study spoke about the lack of detailed data on the dynamics of the accidents, which could support education and safety campaigns, especially since the majority of victims were pedestrians and motorcyclists.

The UK has an inquest system focusing on establishing the facts of the incident and cause of death. It is different from criminal hearings or civil hearings that seek to attribute blame or compensation, respectively.

Aldo wants to ensure that lessons are learnt from the sudden death of his wife who he describes as “a positive, loving person”.

‘Only death could separate us’

Aldo and Marie Claire had been together for 23 years and married for 15.

“We were inseparable. Only death could separate us. We don’t have children and we were not just husband and wife – we were best friends. We travelled thousands of kilometres abroad on motorbikes and never had an accident. This was her first accident with the bike which she had been driving for over two years,” recalls Aldo from his home in Mġarr. On the morning of the accident, the couple parted ways in the morning when she went to her hair salon in Paola and he went to work, as a Local Enforcement Systems Agency compliance officer.

That evening they planned to meet friends for dinner to celebrate Marie Claire’s 46th birthday on October 25.

“She usually calls or messages me before she leaves work. That day she messaged to say she had one more client and would leave. When she took longer than usual I started to worry. I was in the courtyard when I heard a siren and put on a pair of shorts and a top to go see what happened. I had a feeling. It was instinct.

“As soon as I stepped outside the police arrived – they were looking for me. They told me my wife had an accident on the motorbike and asked me to join them to the hospital,” he says.

Doctors later told him she died in the ambulance.

“We were meant to celebrate her birthday. Instead, two days after her birthday we had her funeral,” he says.

‘Justice must be served’

Aldo needed to understand what happened since he knew that his wife was a very cautious driver and was very aware of the dangers on the road.

The following day he went to the scene of the accident.

“On the news, they mentioned olives on the road so, the following morning, I went there with my sister. I saw a large patch covered in sand. There were no olive trees close by. Later, someone passed on a photo taken before the area had been cleaned up – it showed a large patch of olive paste. It confirmed what I thought… She could not have avoided it,” he says.

Aldo turned to social media to search for answers. One witness claimed to have seen an entire crate of olives on the ground at the roundabout at around 5pm, just 30 minutes before the fatal crash.  That witness also claimed to have seen a blue pickup van full of olive crates parked near the roundabout at that time. 

Last week, police issued a statement stating they concluded that the accident was caused by slippery material on the ground and called for people with information to come forward.

“Justice must be served. If this person believes in God, this is on his conscience. He needs to come forward as that is how he will be forgiven. The olives were dropped out of negligence since they should be tied and covered. I want justice because this county must learn that you must be accountable for what you do. If someone saw something, please speak up,” he says.

‘Think of others when on the road’

But to Aldo the problem goes further. During his experience as a LESA compliance officer and many years as a biker he has seen the general lack of awareness on the road. 

“Every day you see this: Overloaded trucks. The load is not secured and covered. I drive a motorbike, so I am very aware of these dangers: dust, stones and oil on the road. Then there is a lack of awareness by motorists who do not use their mirrors and indicators and often drive along the central line not allowing space for motorcycles to overtake. They don’t realise that, unlike someone driving a car, a person on a bike is exposed to exhaust and the elements,” he says.

There is also the use of mobile phones while driving which Aldo believes is the cause of many accidents. Last week, Prime Minister Robert Abela said discussions were under way to drastically increase the fines for those caught using their mobile phones while driving. This was a measure to tackle the large number of accidents on Malta’s roads.

There were over 800 traffic accidents that resulted in fatalities or injuries over the past three years, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri said in response to parliamentary questions. This year there have been 22 fatalities on the roads so far.

Aldo believes that to be effective, any legal amendments must also increase the number of traffic penalty points deducted. At the moment, between three and six points are deducted. Drivers may lose their licence for two months if they accumulate 12 penalty points over a period of 12 months.

“We must be more careful. Think of others when we are on the road. We have this ‘everything goes’ mentality and look what happened – a van of olives killed my wife due to negligence,” he says.

Remembering Marie Claire

• "I became friends with Marie Claire through a common hobby of motorcycles… She was one goofy but adoringly loving lady. She was like an older sister to me, she cared and loved me, and showed it through her hugs, calls, messages, and reminded me her love and prayer. What an ideal woman, full of love, without expecting anything in return." – Alison Saguna
• "Marie Claire was ready to do the impossible to help others. She saw the good in everyone. She was always smiling and always happy to give out a hug." – Cynthia Agius
• "Marie Claire was the friend I knew was always there without fail. I truly believe she personifies the saying “beautiful inside and out”... because she was one beautiful woman with a heart of gold." – Lorraine Bonello Ghio
• "I’m still struggling to come to terms with the awful fact that I won’t see her beautiful smiling face again. She was the most positive burst of energy that anyone could imagine having around and she saw the good side in everything and everybody. I will miss Marie Claire every day and I’m so happy and lucky that I had her as a friend."  – Alison Muscat
• "She was a genuine friend with a heart full of love. Thank you for loving and believing in me. You also drew me closer to God. I will love you forever." – Juliette Azzopardi

Do you have information about the October 22 incident on Mdina Road that led to Marie Claire Lombardi's crash? Contact the police on 21224001, 119 or by visiting a police station. Information can be provided confidentially.