ROME – Italian authorities were investigating a U.S. military personnel stationed at an air force base in northern Italy on Monday.
Italian media said the woman was driving a car that struck a curb at the end of a roundabout around 2:30 a.m. Sunday in the town of Porcia, about nine miles from the Aviano base.
Giovanni Zanier was chatting with two friends on a bike path near the road when he was hit and the impact threw his body dozens of yards away. died inside. his friend was unharmed.
US military officials expressed “deep condolences” and said they were working closely with Italian law enforcement. “The young people’s families and communities are in our hearts and prayers,” said a written statement from base officials. did not.
Italian media said the driver, 20, was under house arrest at the base while an investigation by local prosecutors continued.
Immediately after the crash, she stopped and called for help and sought medical help, according to Italian media.
No one answered a call to the office of Pordenone prosecutor Raffaele Tito. Corriere della Sera was quoted on Sunday as saying US officials could exercise jurisdiction under his NATO auspices and under the military pact between Italy and the US if he was indicted.
This is similar to what happened in 1998 after a U.S. Marine Corps jet took off from Aviano Base and cut a cable running over the mountainside, causing the cable car to plunge into the mountainside. could mean that any prosecution will be handled by Killed 20 Europeans riding the slopes.
Townspeople complained that the roundabout was poorly lit. Mayor Marco Sartini told Sky that lighting will be cut in line with the Italian government’s appeal to reduce energy use amid concerns about shortages related to the uncertainty surrounding Russia’s energy supply during the war in Ukraine. said.
More than anything else responsible for the crash, “I hope the town reflects the situation with street lights and signage,” Ada Zanier, the victim’s aunt, told Sky. It added that there had been a “series of other accidents”.
The 1998 crash sparked public outrage in Italy. In this accident, the Marine Corps’ EA-6B Prowler swooped down a valley just above the treetops, severing the cable with its tail fin before returning safely to Aviano Base. The pilot was eventually acquitted of 20 counts of manslaughter by a U.S. court martial.
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