A man who had been found guilty of the involuntary homicide of his friend has been ordered to pay €142,000 in damages to the victim's family.

Yana Xerri, 18, had died after the vehicle she was travelling in veered off the Coast Road and smashed into rocks beneath Bahar ic-Caghaq. The accident happened on 27 November, 2012. 

In 2013, Clint Xuereb, the driver, was fined €6,000 after the court ruled that his driving negligence lead to Ms Xerri's death. His driving licence was suspended for three years.

Following the judgment, the victim's father filed a court case suing the driver for damages. 

In court, the driver said that on the night in question he was out in Paceville drinking with Ms Xerri, saying he consumed between four and six glasses of alcohol. They left at around 4:30am.

Mr Xuereb insisted that prior to the accident he was driving at 70km/hour, however court experts said that the brake mark ssuggests that the driver was driving at an excessive speed. In addition, the court ruled that there was no proof that the vehicle was defective, or that road conditions led to the driver losing control of the vehicle.

Tests taken hours after the accident ruled that the level of alcohol was higher than the driving limit.

When questioned whether Ms Xerri was wearing a seatbelt, the driver could not reply in the assertive. However, Dr Ali Safraz, who carried out an autopsy, said that a bruising around the victim's left shoulder indicates that the victim was wearing a seatbelt.

The driver admitted that he was not wearing a seatbelt and as result, he ended up outside the vehicle on impact. Fortunately, he did not suffer grievous injuries.

The court ruled that anyone with a driving licence has the responsibility to drive with caution and ordered Mr Xuereb to pay €140,000 in damages.