Worker put severed fingertip in his pocket

A Public Works Department worker put the tip of his finger in his pocket when it was severed during an accident near the Upper Barrakka Gardens, a court heard. The incident happened when a manhole grating and its frame were being carried off a truck. The grating opened, trapping the finger. The 60-year-old worker, despite the pain, picked up the severed fingertip and put it in his pocket, but surgeons were unable to reattach it. The worker who had handed him the grating passed out on seeing the blood. The case happened on July 31, 2009. The worker, William Cuschieri, sued the department's director-general for damages, holding him responsible for the accident. The director said the worker was responsible because insufficient precautions had been taken by him. A departmental report had found that the grating and its manhole were handed to Cuschieri by another man on the truck. It was too heavy and the accident happened when he hit his hand with the edge of the truck where blood was found. The grating also opened. The report said the unloading should have been done by both persons standing on the ground.It was also found that the frame and the grating were not tied together and the...