A young volleyball player was killed instantly when her car was struck by a suspected street racer hurtling down a main road at over 100mph.
Beatrice Bellucci was travelling in a Mini Cooper when it was rear-ended at high speed by a BMW 1 Series believed to have been racing another BMW on Friday (24 Oct) night.
The devastating impact sent the Mini crashing into a tree on the central reservation – killing 20-year-old Beatrice on the spot.
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Her close friend Silvia Piancazzo, who was driving, was left critically injured and remains in intensive care.
Witnesses said the two BMWs were racing side by side through central Rome, Italy, at speeds between 150 km/h (93 mph) and 170 km/h (106 mph) down Via Cristoforo Colombo, one of Rome’s busiest roads.
Police identified the driver of the BMW 1 Series as Luca Domenico Girimonte, 22, who was also seriously injured and remains in hospital.
Firefighters had to cut open the mangled car’s roof to free him from the wreck.
His 22-year-old passenger managed to escape the wreckage without serious injuries, as reported by Need To Know.
Both men tested negative for alcohol and drugs and reportedly told police: “We weren’t speeding.
“We were going no more than 70 km/h (43 mph).
“Another car hit us, and we lost control.”
However, skid marks and eyewitness accounts suggest the pair were driving much faster.
Police have since questioned the driver of the second BMW, believed to be a friend of Luca’s.
His girlfriend was also in the car, and both groups were reportedly heading into Rome from Anzio for a night out.
When asked why he didn’t stop after the crash, the man allegedly claimed: “I didn’t notice anything.”
But investigators believe that story is false, as he never tried to contact Luca after he failed to arrive.
Beatrice – affectionately known as “Bibbi” – was a law student at Roma Tre University and played volleyball for Roma Volley Club’s youth team.
She was also a devoted AS Roma fan, with the club posting tributes online in her memory.
Her devastated father, Andrea Bellucci, a bank manager, has called for “exemplary punishment” for those responsible for her death.
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