A 78-year-old woman has been left wheelchair-bound after falling into an uncovered manhole which was part of ongoing works in Mosta Square.

“Every day I go to the square, every day. I attend Mass, buy some groceries, have a coffee and later go home,” she told Times of Malta.

But, last week, her life changed overnight.

On July 1, the elderly woman was going about her usual routine and was on the pavement in Constitution Street where road works are taking place at the main village square.

“When I stepped out of the shop and onto the pavement to cross the road, I saw there was an uncovered manhole,” she recalled.

“When I tried to step over it, I realised there was yet another hole, and I fell into it. The pain I felt was horrible.”

After getting herself out of the manhole, she crossed the road to the clinic, where she was told she would suffer bruising.

“At the time, they didn’t take any X-rays because I was walking,” she said.

However, overnight, the pain kicked in as her legs were covered in bruises.

The manhole where the elderly woman claimed she fell into was covered up yesterday.

“Holy Mary, the pain. I was in so much pain but I did not think I had suffered any fractures. I thought the pain was due to the bruises. They were so big and purple.”

On Monday, she went back to the Mosta clinic and X-rays showed that she had broken her right ankle, which is now covered in a cast. She also broke a part of the ankle bone on her left leg.

The manhole in front of the shop she said she fell into was covered yesterday.

She is now in a wheelchair and homebound for the next six weeks.

How can I be careful when the road is a complete mess?

“I am worried that I have damaged my feet since I was walking on my broken ankle. I just hope the damage won’t be too serious and that I can walk again after all this,” she said.

Describing herself as a “happy-go-lucky” character, she said she will miss going to the square and meeting her friends.

“It’s going to drive me crazy staying inside all this time. My life is ruined now. I cannot go outside because of this carelessness.”

She said she is grateful that her family have been by her side every minute since the accident.

“My son and daughter have been visiting me every minute of the day, cleaning, cooking and helping me with the laundry. I am very lucky.”

The family is now discussing with a lawyer whether they should seek compensation from those responsible for what happened.

Mosta’s main square is currently undergoing road works which have left the area full of dust, noise and uneven pavements.

She called on the authorities to give importance to people’s health and safety and claimed she was told that another 15 elderly residents had fallen due to the ongoing works.

“When I complained, all they told me was to ‘be careful’. How can I be careful when the road is a complete mess? People are being treated like animals, it’s not right.”

One of the entities running the resurfacing road project is Infrastructure Malta. According to CEO Ivan Falzon the entity was not aware of the accident.

“Infrastructure Malta’s contractors are obliged to maintain working sites according to conditions and standards issued by regulatory authorities,” he added.