The parents had lent the car to one of his friends, as long as an adult would always drive. But at 4 am they let him, 17 years old and without a license, get behind the wheel and drive home alone.
He skidded and the car went off the road. Thus died at dawn Pietro Benfatto, a 17-year-old from Padua who lost his life driving his parents' Opel, crashing into the fences of a house along the Piovese state road, in the municipality of Legnaro (Padua).
A real tragedy. Saturday night the boy had gone out to meet with his company and his parents had lent the car to one of his friends, as long as he would always drive an adult.
It didn't happen that way. The minor got behind the wheel to go home: he was alone in the car, behind him the other friends with another car. They all went in the same direction and witnessed the fatal accident.
The car swerved, broke through the gate of a house, overturned and ended its flight against the wall of a house. In addition to the traffic police officers, the firefighters and 118 arrived at the crash site. For the young man, stuck in the cockpit, there was nothing to do right away.
The investigations by the traffic police of Piove di Sacco (Padua) aim to identify who was responsible for the car and who gave the keys to Pietro. The crime under investigation is "careless reliance", a violation of the Highway Code that punishes those who entrust the car to minors or people without a license.
It was the agents, at dawn, who went to Pietro's parents to warn them of their son's death and to ask for an account of that car in their name.
(Unioneonline / L)
