A 64-year-old British tourist, who suffered paralysis following an accident on a day boat trip in Malta last summer, is calling for improved safety measures.
Over a year has passed since Sonya Connor’s accident on August 23, 2019, yet she and her UK solicitor are struggling to understand who owns the company that operated the boat she was injured on. It seems that the operator has shut down, leaving no trace of who was responsible for the accident.
Speaking to Times of Malta from her home in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, Connor recounted how a year ago she came to Malta for the first time with friends.
Seven days into their holiday the group decided to go on an advertised boat trip operated by Triton Cruises.
The advert said they would depart from Buġibba and head for a full day to Comino where they would visit the Crystal Lagoon, followed by the Blue Lagoon.
When they arrived at their first stop, the Crystal Lagoon, they were informed they could use the slide situated on the top-most deck of the boat.
“Being somewhat adventurous I wanted to try it out. They opened the gate leading to the slide and I went to have a look to check out the safety aspect. But I saw that it did not look safe, so I changed my mind. Then, suddenly, the boat tipped and I fell forward,” she recalls.
Connor fell over a low ledge and hit the side of the boat, landing on the lower deck. Part of her body hit one of the benches used by passengers.
She broke her back in four places, suffered a collapsed lung, a fractured skull and 13 rib fractures, she says.
After the fall she was in and out of consciousness.
“I remember telling my friend to get my legs down from the bench and she told me they were down. That’s when I knew there was something serious,” she says.
She was taken to shore from where she was taken to Mater Dei Hospital by air ambulance. There she was stabilised.
Doctors did not think she would last the night. She spent three weeks at Mater Dei before being moved to a hospital in UK and eventually went home.
I have had my life, but if this happened to a child or a young person, the tragedy would have been bigger
“This destroyed my life. I’m paralysed from the waist down. Now I’m at increased risk of contracting coronavirus. I can’t spend time with my three grandchildren or take my dog out for a walk,” she says.
Now Connor wants to seek compensation to be able to have a decent future.
“There needs to be more accountability. Safety must be improved. This could have happened to a child. I have had my life but, if this happened to a child or a young person, the tragedy would have been bigger. Having said that, I need to think about my future,” she says.
But this is proving to be hard since various attempts, made by both her and her lawyer, have proven unsuccessful – they cannot track down who owned the company.
Her UK lawyer, Tom Hartigan, said: “In order to help Sonya, we are trying to obtain crucial information from the owners and insurers of Triton Cruises, in order to understand how the accident occurred. But we have had no reply to our enquiries so far.
“Sonya is very sadly now left wheelchair bound with permanent paralysis. She will need a great deal of care and support for the rest of her life. It is for these reasons that I would be very grateful to hear from anyone who can assist in contacting Triton Cruises.”
Malta Consumer Association president Benny Borg Bonello said in such cases, one had to first check if the company was registered.
“If the company was registered and has been declared bankrupt, I believe the court would appoint an administrator to deal with its assets.
“Usually in such cases, the customer’s lawyer would contact this administrator and file a claim. I know that the law stipulates payment priority… If the company was not registered, I believe the owner of the company is responsible for payments due,” he said.
Times of Malta called two mobile numbers on the Facebook Page of Triton Cruises. The two men who picked up said the company no longer existed and did not speak any further.
The website listed on the Facebook page is inactive. Messages sent remained unanswered and no company by the name of Triton Cruises could be found on the company register.