A driver who killed three people after mowing down a group of cyclists like skittles shouted “what have I done?” at the scene, according to reports.
Francesco Del Vecchio was on his way to meet friends for a holiday when his Lancia Delta allegedly smashed into the group of five at breakneck speed.
The windscreen shattered, and the vehicle came to a stop against a crash barrier.
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Del Vecchio got out and phoned emergency services, before reportedly collapsing in despair and shouting: “What have I done? What have I done?”
The victims were named as Antonio Porro, Sandro Abruzzese, and Vincenzo Mantovani.
They were all from Andria, in Italy, and were members of the local Ciclo Avis sports club.
Antonio, 70, co-founded a well-known coffee-roasting business and was a mentor to dozens of young cyclists.
Sandro, 30, was an insurance broker and had been with the club since 2015.
Vincenzo, 50, owned a car repair shop and had taken up cycling around six years ago. He leaves behind a wife and two daughters.
Del Vecchio, from Ruvo di Puglia, was taken from the scene of the smash by ambulance to a hospital in Bari, as reported by Need To Know.
He was injured and in shock.
The five riders had set off on their weekly training session early on Sunday morning (3 Aug).
They were pedalling in a single file along a two-way road when they were hit by the car.
One of the survivors said, “He skimmed past us, then swerved back in and hit them head-on.
“He was flying – probably doing over 150 km/h (93 mph). They were thrown into the air.
“We’re only alive because we were riding further back.”
The hit trio died instantly on the SP231 near Terlizzi, Italy.
Their mangled racing bikes were left strewn across the tarmac.
The speed limit on that stretch of the SP231 is 90 km/h (56 mph).
Del Vecchio, 30, had reportedly slept for only a few hours before getting behind the wheel.
He is now under investigation by the Trani Public Prosecutor’s Office for multiple counts of vehicular manslaughter.
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