Naples, man killed by Galleria Umberto cornice: 13 years later, family still awaits compensation

Twelve years since the Salvatore Giordano tragedy: remembering a hero who lost his life in Naples.

Naples. More than twelve years after the collapse and with a criminal case now finalized, the end is still far away for Salvatore Giordano's family. The family of the fourteen-year-old from Marano, who was hit in July 2014 by a frieze that broke off from the entrance to the Galleria Umberto I on Via Toledo, has yet to receive full compensation for the damages.

The family's lawyers, Angelo and Sergio Pisani, have denounced the stalemate. Following the criminal rulings, the lawyers have secured a civil hearing scheduled for January 15th before Dr. Ragosta of the Court of Naples. At that hearing, they will request a full assessment of damages, burdened by procedural liability for the unjustified delay in payments by the responsible parties.

The dispute will not be confined to the civil courts. The lawyers have announced a formal complaint to the Regional Prosecutor's Office of the Court of Auditors to determine any potential damages to the public purse. The aim is to determine whether the failure to promptly liquidate the debt has resulted in an unjustified burden on public coffers due to revaluations, legal fees, and interest accrued over more than a decade. The defense concludes that an investigative book on the entire matter is also planned, detailing responsibilities, omissions, and bureaucratic delays.