Naples - He died after a month-long desperate struggle for life, first at the Cardarelli Hospital and then at the Ospedale del Mare. The city mourns Mario Castello, 46, the latest victim of an increasingly bloody road, struck headlong in Ponticelli, on Via Mario Palermo, as he was about to cross the street at the pedestrian crossing.
The tragedy occurred just over a month ago. Mario Castello had just gotten off a bus and was heading toward the crosswalk on Via Mario Palermo when he was violently thrown from a Renault driven by a 62-year-old man.
The impact was fatal. After five days in intensive care at Cardarelli Hospital, the 46-year-old was transferred to intensive care at Ospedale del Mare, where his heart stopped beating yesterday.
As with all fatal accidents, the investigation was immediately taken over by the Municipal Police Road Accident Unit, headed by Vincenzo Cirillo. Technical surveys on site confirmed a key element for the judicial authorities' investigation: Mario Castello was indeed crossing near the pedestrian crossing.
The sixty-two-year-old driver of the Renault was subjected to the usual drug tests, resulting in the suspension of his license and the precautionary seizure of the vehicle.
Pedestrian emergency: 8 victims out of 19 total deaths
Mario Castello's death is not an isolated case, but rather part of a dramatic situation for the Neapolitan capital. His death brings the number of pedestrians involved in fatal accidents to eight since the beginning of the year. This shocking figure represents nearly half of the overall death toll, which has totaled 19 in road accidents in Naples since January 1, 2025.
In the last 48 hours alone, another road victim has been reported: Nazario Cretella, the 93-year-old Neapolitan man who was hit on November 7th on Via Simone Martini, in the Vomero neighborhood.
The protest: "Don't call them accidents"
The wave of mourning and the perception of a full-blown security emergency have sparked anger and indignation among civil society. A series of associations and committees, united under the name "Naples City 30," along with numerous families of road victims, have announced their mobilization.
The event is scheduled for Sunday, November 16th: pedestrian and bicycle marches will converge at 11:30 a.m. in Piazza Plebiscito for a flash mob with the unequivocal title: "Don't call them accidents, stop road deaths!" A call for attention and concrete measures to protect citizens' lives, starting with speed reductions in urban centers.
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Comments (1)
It's sad that these things happen in Naples; it seems like there's no end to this street violence. We hope people become aware of this problem and that something concrete is done to stop these deadly accidents.