Teacher who died in the bus accident on a school trip, asked for the driver’s arrest: “He was using the mobile phone”

The Public Prosecutor of Como asked for the arrest of Francesco Pagano, the 60 -year -old driver of the bus that on May 19, on the Pedemontana highway, has A truck buffered inside a gallery in the stretch of Lomazzo (Como). On board the vehicle, which returned from a school trip, 27 children of the Pascoli Primary School of Cazzago Brabbia (Varese), two teachers and the driver himself traveled. In the impact the teacher on Sunday Russo lost his life43 -year -old teacher, originally from Naples and residing in Sesto Calende, who was sitting next to the driver.

Two months after the accident, the Prosecutor’s Office formalized a request for arrest for Pagano. According to what some newspapers report today, the precautionary measure has been advanced on the basis of elements collected during the investigations: in particular, The images of the cameras of the Pedemontana portals would immortalize the driver with the smartphone in his hand A few moments before impact. In addition, technical advice on the phone would have confirmed the use of the device right at the time of the accident.

On the request for arrest, the judge has now reserved the decision.

The schoolchild returned from a visit to the Grandate Toy Horse Museum, in the province of Como. The accident occurred around 4 pm, inside a 36 gallery, in the stretch between Turate and Lentate sul Seveso. The bus would not have been able to curb in time and crashed into the truck that preceded him. “The images of the surveillance cameras show the bus that cannot brake and crash into the truck,” reads the minutes. The impact raised a cloud of dust that reduced the visibility, causing the involvement of four other vehicles.

Sunday Russo was sitting in the first rows, next to the driver. The impact was fatal. The other teacher and the 27 children were miraculously unharmed or slightly injured. The same driver was taken to the hospital in yellow code. The truck driver unharmed.

On Sunday Russo had taught the Pascoli primary school for a few months, but had already left a profound mark in the community. He was a girl’s mother. The teachers’ guild had also taken position. The national coordinator Vito Carlo Castellana had underlined the sense of responsibility that the teachers take on during the school trips, often without adequate protections:
«In front of a tragedy like that which occurred on the foothills, where a teacher lost their lives and many children were injured, we can only express our suffering, but we have a duty to reflect for a death at work that should not have happened. […] This is how I want to think of this tragedy: a teacher who died at work for a great gesture of love towards his pupils and towards school ».

The driver’s position is now under consideration by the judge who will have to decide whether to accept the request for pre -trial detention. The results of the technical expertise and the surveillance images seem to indicate a fatal distractionaggravated by the possible violation of the ban on using the mobile phone to driving.