Overview
- Two youths who had taken a train from Pontedera were hit around 3:30 a.m. on Saturday on Strada Provinciale 62 in Brescello while riding the same bicycle, leaving 19-year-old Giovanni Zaccaria Abend dead and an 18-year-old injured.
- The vehicle involved was a Volkswagen Passat and the driver has been identified as a 43-year-old resident of Sorbolo Mezzani who was taken to hospital for medical and toxicology examinations.
- Carabinieri at the scene carried out legal surveys, seized the vehicles involved, and began an investigation that the Procura di Reggio Emilia formalized by opening a file to clarify the facts.
- The 18-year-old survivor was conscious when rescued, was taken urgently to Parma hospital and is reported in serious but not life-threatening condition.
- The two victims were traveling by train from Pontedera to Parma to attend the Elrow Town music event in Reggio Emilia, and officials noted the death adds to Italy’s 2026 cyclist fatalities recorded by national observatories.