“I saw it go by, I tried to stop the car with my hands but I couldn’t. And she hit the children by breaking the fence. ‘ These are the words of the woman driver of the 2010 Passat who yesterday after lunch she fell on the kindergarten in Pile, killing a child and injuring five others. The woman spoke for the first time this morning with her lawyer Francesco Valentini. And she added: “I parked the car on the flat, I engaged the gear, I don’t remember having engaged the handbrake.”
On Friday afternoon, the 4-year-old boy, who had been admitted yesterday in the intensive care of the Bambino Gesù hospital in Rome, was discharged and transferred to the general surgery department. In light of the stable and reassuring clinical picture, prognostic reservations are dissolved. This was announced by the bulletin released by the Capitoline pediatric hospital.
The woman, meanwhile, has made some statements. «During the race my son tried to get out of the car, banging his head inside the cockpit. My whole family and I cannot give each other peace, this tragedy will mark for life. We are shocked, saddened ». While “my daughters have seen the dramatic scenes and are in shock: we are destroyed and saddened, we ask and will still apologize to the family of poor Tommaso and the injured children,” the 38-year-old, investigated for road murder, told Ansa.
Meanwhile, the investigative activity continues. Tomorrow, meanwhile, the Public Prosecutor’s Office will be entrusted with the assignment of the technical expertise on the car to the expert Cristiano Ruggeri, and also in the morning a meeting is scheduled in the presence of the anatomopathologist Giuseppe Calvisi to verify the eventuality requested by investigators and investigators. to avoid the autopsy on Tommaso’s body by carrying out a cadaveric reconnaissance. The examination on the electronic handbrake will be one of the central points of the expertise to understand what happened. In fact, while for the mechanical brakes there is no trace of use, for the electronic one the control unit can be checked.
However, the investigations of the L’Aquila Mobile Squad also continue on the issue of safety outside the kindergarten and in the surrounding spaces. Tomorrow the woman will be heard for the first time by the prosecutor Stefano Gallo. The investigators will also have to clarify the statements of the mother and son couple made to the media: the woman allegedly left the car with the gear engaged, while the 12-year-old son immediately after the tragedy had admitted in tears that he was responsible for her.
In addition, some witnesses would have seen him in the driver’s seat during the descent, with a swerve attempt to prevent free fall. In the meantime, the conditions of the two girls hospitalized at the Gemelli in Rome and those concerning the two twins in the pediatric ward at the Aquila hospital are stable.
The first sentences
“I’m sure I left the gear engaged, I don’t remember the handbrake,” said the 38-year-old, according to what the newspaper reported. Republic. A version that has yet to be examined by investigators and investigators, who are making a whole series of findings, along with other testimonies collected. The messenger, reports a sentence that was said by the 12-year-old son of the crying woman: “I killed him, I killed him”, suggesting that he had direct responsibility for the accident. A version that, according to the newspaper, would also be confirmed by other witnesses who reported seeing the boy in the driver’s seat attempting to move the steering wheel of the Passat as he approached the gate of the kindergarten.
The words of the lawyer of the 38-year-old
“The whole family, not just the lady, is saddened, upset, to say the least. Husband and wife cannot find peace. The three children are in shock. It is a tragedy within a tragedy. It is a fault but also unfortunate and fortuitous circumstances for a woman who made these movements every day “, said the lawyer Francesco Valentini, of the L’Aquila Bar, defender of the 38-year-old mother investigated for road murder for the tragic accident yesterday afternoon at the ‘Eagle in the kindergarten of Pile.
“It is a visibly tried family, the lady does not know how to behave, she does not know what the right course to do is: she apologizes and will do so formally when there is the possibility and if the other families so wish”, explains the lawyer who in in relation to the investigation by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of L’Aquila underlines that: “We will defend ourselves from the accusation of road homicide”.
«We await the technical results of the various tests before making an analysis – continues the lawyer -. We must reflect on the fact that the car moved after a few minutes and that it finished its run by breaking the fence that was not anchored to the wall but to the ground ». The 12-year-old son was heard during the night in the presence of a psychologist “but in an evident state of shock he remembers little or nothing,” explains Valentini.
Transferred kindergarten children
The children of the “Primo Maggio” kindergarten (0-3 years old) in the Pile district will finish their teaching activities in the provisional module that in the past hosted the “Il Viale” kindergarten in via Ficara. Technicians and workers of the Municipality are moving the furniture and all the materials used for the lessons and, at the same time, the sanitation and verification of the users of the structure located near the San Salvatore hospital are in progress.
“By Tuesday the headquarters in via Ficara will be ready – explains the mayor of L’Aquila Pierlugi Biondi – Probably the pupils of the kindergarten (3-6 years) will be transferred to another complex of the Mazzini comprehensive school: we are in constant contact with the head teacher and available to support the choice he deems most suitable “.
“The decision to relocate those who frequent the complex in via Salaria Antica Est to other sites, with the positive opinion of the Public Prosecutor who seized the area of the accident, was adopted – explains the mayor – so that from here to the end in June, the children and teachers can conclude the training and didactic path in a place that does not daily recall a collective tragedy, for which I renew the feelings of condolence and closeness of the entire L’Aquila community to the parents of little Tommaso, to their family members and those of the other children involved “.
And he adds: «I am in constant contact with the health authorities and hospital staff to be constantly updated on their health conditions. A tragic event that has marked the city, for which it will also be necessary to guarantee adequate psychological support, for all those who have been involved and need it, so that a path, albeit difficult, can be undertaken that leads to elaboration and, perhaps , when overcoming such excruciating pain. In this regard – announces the mayor – I was contacted by the Order of Psychologists of Abruzzo and by the Association of Road Accident Victims who made themselves available for this activity and which I thank for the sensitivity shown ».
The visit of the councilor
Two colored books, the kind that light up. This is the gift that the regional councilor for health Nicoletta Verì gave to the two twins hospitalized in the Pediatric ward at the San Salvatore hospital in L’Aquila following the tragic accident in the courtyard of the “Pile – Primo Maggio” kindergarten. The commissioner met the parents of the two children and interacted with one of the two children, while the other rested. “I do not want to replace the health personnel in indicating the conditions – she explains – but I point out that the children occupy normal hospital rooms and not intensive care areas”.
“I felt a profound need – underlined the commissioner – to give witness and closeness not only as an institution, but also and above all from a human, emotional, relational and empathic point of view: identifying with a parent who lives this tragedy is very important and very significant “. His visit was accompanied by the medical director Alfonso Mascitelli and the head of pediatrics, Vincenzo Salpietro.
The Run4Hope without public ceremonies
There will be no public ceremony next Saturday, May 21st, to accompany the start of the “Run4Hope”, the maxi relay that once again this year sees L’Aquila as the starting and ending point of the marathon aimed this year to support the ‘Italian Association against leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma (Ail) and also for Ukrainian patients. The organization of the Abruzzo stages, simultaneously with the other regions of Italy, sees the collaboration of Atletica Abruzzo L’Aquila which had set up an important parterre for the start of the relay. However, in the aftermath of the tragedy that struck the “Pile – Primo Maggio” kindergarten, the president of the sports club, Valter Paro, chose to cancel any collateral event, while maintaining the commitment to the initiative of solidarity.
«As a sign of respect and closeness to the pain of those affected – Paro explained – it was decided not to carry out any starting ceremony of the“ Run4hope ”, maintaining the commitments previously made with the other companies. Therefore the relay will start on Saturday 21 at 11 as already foreseen by Collemaggio respecting all the times indicated for the departures of the various fractions without any kind of publicity or prominence of the event. We will therefore hand over the baton to the Montorio group and close our task ».
