Milan: Drunk and cocaine-impaired driver hits two sisters on crossing; 75-year-old dies
A 39-year-old man struck two elderly sisters on a zebra crossing in Via Carnia, killing the elder. He turned himself in an hour later, prompted by his parents.
Hit-and-run driver in Milan: 75-year-old sister dies on crossing
A 39-year-old man, driving a black Smart car with a blood alcohol level four times above the legal limit and testing positive for cocaine, struck two elderly sisters on the pedestrian crossing in Via Carnia, at the corner of Via Deruta, shortly after 21:30. According to ANSA Cronaca, the victim, Alfonsa Curiale, 75 years old, died at Niguarda hospital shortly after 22:00. Her 70-year-old sister is hospitalised at the same facility and is not believed to be in danger of life.
According to a reconstruction by the Stradale Police, the impact threw both women approximately twenty metres. The crossing was equipped with LED lighting and phosphorescent embossed horizontal bands visible from a distance. The driver fled without providing assistance.
Surrender after one hour: parents play crucial role
The man's mother prompted his surrender by calling 112 approximately one hour after the incident, reporting that her son was in the car park of a supermarket in Via Ornato. Officers reached him still in the vehicle, which had a broken bumper and a shattered windscreen. The man was uttering disconnected phrases and had a strong smell of alcohol. The roadside pre-tests and subsequent blood tests at the hospital confirmed his state of impairment.
The 39-year-old was arrested and transferred to San Vittore prison charged with vehicular homicide, failure to provide assistance, and driving whilst under the influence of alcohol and narcotics.
Who was Alfonsa Curiale
The victim was originally from Joppolo Giancaxio, in the province of Agrigento, where she had held the position of director of the municipal library. A well-known and respected public employee in the town, she had come to Milan to care for her sister who lived in Lombardy and was going through a period of illness. Alfonsa Curiale was unmarried and had no children.
Series of fatal hit-and-run incidents in Milan
Tuesday evening's incident is the latest in a sequence of similar episodes involving elderly pedestrians in the city. Last Saturday, in Via Pirelli, a couple of American origin was struck on the crossing: the husband, 77 years old, died in hospital, whilst his 75-year-old wife remains hospitalised in serious condition. On 13 May, an 84-year-old was hit by a truck manoeuvring on the pavement in Via Cadore. On 7 May, in Via Boifava, an 89-year-old struck on the crossing subsequently died in hospital; the driver, who had fled the scene, was already known for recidivism.
Source: ANSA Cronaca