A party was no party without Ben Laferla, the 21-year-old who died following a car crash in Swieqi on Saturday, his best friend has said.
Ben was “the life of the party” and was planning to pursue a career as a producer of techno music, Ben Vella said as he paid a sad and affectionate tribute to his friend.
“Ben was very, very, very loud… like… he would not shut up. A party would not be a party without him,” he said.
The rented car in which Ben Laferla was a passenger.Laferla, of Naxxar, died early on Wednesday morning after suffering serious injuries in a crash on Triq il-Madliena on Saturday at 1.30am. He was a passenger in a rented Renault Zoe being driven by a 17-year-old girl from St Paul’s Bay, who was slightly injured in the accident.
Inside the car were two other passengers – a greviously injured 19-year-old Chilean woman, who lives in St Julian’s, and a 20-year-old Swiss man from Swieqi who suffered slight injuries.
His soul left us the night of the accident. I’m glad I went to say goodbye- Friend Ben Vella
It is not clear who rented the car. It belonged to ride-sharing company GoTo Malta, which requires users to register using a valid driving licence.
Vella, 20, said he met Laferla in 2016 when they played waterpolo for Sliema. They remained close friends, even living together for a while.
“At one point, it was me, Ben and another Ben living together... we were the ‘Three Bens’,” Vella said.
Career in music production
Laferla had a passion for mixing and producing techno music.
He was working as a bar tender in a restaurant but his plan was to take his career in music production seriously.
“He left behind lots of recorded music on Sound Cloud. At least, we have that to remember him by,” his friend said.
He last met Laferla about a week ago in Paceville. Then, last weekend, he saw a post about an accident.
“When I saw the ages and the nationalities, I knew,” he said. The Chilean girl was Ben’s girlfriend and the Swiss man was “one of us boys” with his 17-year-old girlfriend.
“I went to see him in hospital. I barely recognised him. His soul left us the night of the accident. I’m glad I went to say goodbye.”
Childhood friend Etienne Vella said: “Ben was an amazing friend. Whenever you needed something and if you were down, he would always be there to boost your mood. He was just in general a very fun person to be around, constantly making you laugh.”
As news about Laferla’s death spread, people turned to social media to comment about the tragic death of the young man and express their condolences.
“Very, very sorry to read this, dear Fiona. My heart bleeds for you,” one woman wrote referring to Ben’s mother, Fiona.
In a Facebook post, Fiona Laferla shared a tender photo of her cupping the face of a young Ben and the words: “Ben and I on the train.”
Many reacted to this heartbreaking post with words of encouragement and support.
One woman wrote: “He is surely watching over you Fio, he is now your forever guardian.”
‘National emergency’
Many also pointed out that this was yet another road fatality and called on the authorities to treat this as a “national emergency”.
Commenting on the news story shared on Times of Malta’s Facebook page, one man wrote: “Malta’s authorities: please stop wasting money on nonsense and deal with the road problem. We lose people every day.”
Ben was the 20th fatality of Malta’s roads this year.
Last month, Times of Malta reported that this year’s mid-year figure of 15 road fatalities was the highest in a quarter of a century.
A recent study published in the Malta Medical Journal drew attention to the lack of a consistent and professional road safety campaign to address the increasing number of traffic fatalities.
Kasia Lyczkowska, who survived a traffic accident which killed her partner four years ago, has gone on record saying she believes drivers should be taught awareness of the real repercussions of accidents to try to deter negligent behaviour.
She said learners should be shown photos or videos of accidents, injuries and car wrecks or requested to read or watch stories of traffic accident survivors.
Pierre Vella, executive chair of the Malta Road Safety Council, said he agrees on the need for better road safety education.
The latest tragedy has prompted many to question why an underage person was driving the car.
Questions sent to GoTo Malta about the accident remained unanswered at the time of writing yesterday.
The company is pulling out of Malta, after some of its shareholders withdrew their support disappointed at the financial results.
Magistrate Yana Micallef Stafrace is leading an inquiry into the fatal accident, which is also the subject of a separate police investigation.
The 20 road deaths so far this year
January 2: An elderly woman hit by a car in Ħamrun.
January 4: The president of Puttinu Cares, Victor Calvagna, 63, after being hit by a car in Qawra while out running.
February 2: Steven Sargant, a motorcyclist involved in a collision with a van in Gudja, a week before his 43rd birthday.
February 3: A 71-year-old worker hit by a truck he was helping to manoeuvre in Birżebbuġa.
February 16: Nepali Ajay Shrestha, 28, a food delivery driver hit by a lorry loaded with scrap metal that overturned on Aldo Moro Road, Marsa.
February 26: 50-year-old James Buttigieg, hit by a car in Mrieħel.
March 5: Robert Azzopardi, 20, after losing control of his car in Baħrija, crashing into a tree and overturning.
March 7: Bulgarian motorcyclist food courier Yani Kuzmanov, 38, following a crash in Triq Anton Buttigieg, Żejtun.
March 11: Joe Camilleri, 66, who was riding his sulky when he was hit by a car in Rabat.
March 15: Motorcyclist Andrea Alamango, 28, involved in a crash with another motorcycle on Regional Road, Gżira.
April 10: A 31-year-old Eritrean national, run over on Triq Diċembru 13, Marsa six days earlier.
April 20: A 24-year-old Sudanese man run over by a Land Rover on Triq Diċembru 13, Marsa.
May 5: A 35-year-old Frenchman who lost control of his motorcycle and collided with a crash barrier on the Coast Road.
May 24: A 63-year-old motorcyclist, in a collision with a car on May 17.
August 5: Antoine Degabriele, a 51-year-old resident of Żejtun found dead after a hit-and-run along Triq Anton Buttigieg, Żejtun.
August 21: A 29-year-old Eritrean man hit by a Toyota Vitz at 2pm on Triq Diċembru 13, in Marsa.
August 24: Serbian national Kristina Zivanovic, 23, hit by a bus on Mdina Road, Birkirkara.
September 6: A 62-year-old Fontana resident hit by a motorbike in Victoria, dying in hospital a few days later.
September 7: An 87-year-old man from Paola hit by a motorbike in Triq Għajn Dwieli, Paola.
September 24: Ben Laferla, a passenger in a rented Renault Zoe driven by a 17-year-old girl from St Paul’s Bay, which crashed on Triq il-Madliena, Swieqi.