Court rules company partially to blame for tragic May 2020 crash.
MaltaPost has been ordered to pay €155,000 to the family of a postwoman who died after the postal service vehicle she was driving overturned in Marsa back in 2020.
Elenia Briffa, 19, died early in the morning of May 7 when the electric cargo Paxter vehicle she was driving overturned on Triq Ħal Qormi.
She was just a short distance away from Maltapost headquarters, having crashed into a pavement after turning a corner. The impact caused a tyre to burst and the vehicle to turn over.
Her death sent shockwaves across the Qrendi community, where Briffa lived and where she played an active role in organising the village feast.
Briffa’s parents, John and Doris Briffa, filled a case in the First Hall of the Civil Court on behalf of themselves and their other children, Ryan and Denise, holding the company accountable for the accident.
The case was heard and reviewed by Judge Toni Abela.
In its judgment, the court noted Briffa was not wearing the company's helmet at the scene of the accident.
That contributed to her death, the court noted, adding that a pack of cigarettes, a lighter and a cigarette were found near the vehicle, possibly indicating she was distracted at the time.
However, the court also concluded that MaltaPost was also at fault for the tragic accident.
The company knew that Briffa was a new driver and had only obtained her driving licence in February of that year.
Additionally, the Paxter vehicle was unlike the normal car that she was licensed to drive. If a driver got up from the seat, the vehicle’s brakes would "stop working," there were no side doors and the steering wheel was similar to that of a “bicycle”.
While MaltaPost argued that the accident was due to the victim’s negligence, the court said half the responsibility for Briffa’s death fell on the company, which was obliged to provide workers with the right equipment and a safe environment.
The court ordered MaltaPost to pay €155,000 in compensation to the victim’s family.
Lawyer Charmaine Cherrett represented the Briffa family.