Road where priest died ‘needs crash barriers’

The spot where a priest had a fatal car accident on Sunday morning is in dire need of crash barriers, according to people who commute daily through Tal-Barrani Road in Żejtun. Fr Renè Cilia, 27, of Qormi, died on impact while on his way to say early morning Mass at the Żejtun parish church. The car he was driving mounted the central strip and careered onto the other side of the road where it collided with two vehicles. The owner of a field just where the collision occurred said the rubble wall lining the street was full of evidence of previous car crashes. Just a year ago, in September, a 31-year-old mother-of-four from Birkirkara succumbed to injuries sustained in a traffic accident on the same road. And according to Transport Malta data for 2007-2009, Tal-Barrani Road is one of Malta’s most dangerous. “I do not know why a lot of accidents take place on this road but something needs to be done, and we have been saying for years that there is a huge need of crash barriers,” the field owner said, adding he had recently witnessed a slow-moving container truck lose control. A bus commuter from Żejtun who witnessed the priest’s accident said it all happened in a “split second”.