A terrible tragedy has shaken the municipality of Santa Maria di Sala in the province of Venice. A six-year-old boy from Ukraine died in hospital in Padua on Friday afternoon as a result of a serious traffic accident. He was hit by a car on a crosswalk in Via Noalese on Wednesday afternoon.
Escaped the war just a month ago
The boy's story is particularly poignant. He had only arrived in Italy with his mother and older brother on July 27, less than a month ago. The family had fled the war in their homeland and found refuge in a former vicarage together with other Ukrainian families. The dream of a safe life ended tragically for the six-year-old. When he tried to cross the road at a crosswalk with his mother on Wednesday, he was hit by a car and thrown several meters through the air. His condition was immediately classified as extremely critical by first responders.
The 25-year-old driver of the car stopped immediately after the collision to administer first aid. Nevertheless, the public prosecutor's office in Venice has opened an investigation against the young man. The carabinieri are currently reconstructing the exact course of the accident in order to clarify the circumstances that led to the child's death.
