He was traveling via Stezzano on his Yamaha MT-07 towards Bergamo. Suddenly the trunk of a poplar tree collapsed onto the road, hitting the bonnet of a Toyota Yaris in which two Romanian boys were travelling. The car stopped suddenly, behind it was the motorcyclist, who according to an initial reconstruction swerved to the left to avoid the car and was hit by a heavy branch right on the helmet: the blow sent him off the road, on the road in the direction of Stezzano, he remained on the saddle for a few meters then the motorbike leaned on its side and he ended up against a tree.
There was nothing that could be done for Carminati, he died instantly. The boys traveling in the Yaris were unharmed and immediately called 112. A medical vehicle and ambulance arrived in via Stezzano together with the firefighters from the via Codussi command and the local police. Some passing motorist, without any scruple, moved the branches of the poplar tree to be able to pass, but the officers were still able to reconstruct the dynamics of the accident also thanks to the testimonies.
Checking the condition of the poplars
The collapsed tree is located on the grounds of Crea, the Cereal and Industrial Crops Research Centre. A secondary part of the trunk, approximately 11 meters long, broke through the fence and fell onto the roadway. The deputy prosecutor Paolo Mandurino, who also arrived on site, asked for the intervention of an agronomist and a surveyor from the Municipality to check the condition of the poplars that run along the entire stretch of road between the two roundabouts.
According to the technicians – without instrumental but only visual analysis – the cause of the collapse was a mix between the degradation of the plant at the base level and the strong wind of these days. The part of the tree affected by the collapse was seized, while Carminati’s body was placed in the mortuary of the Papa Giovanni XXIII hospital but an autopsy will not be carried out, only an external examination, then it can be returned to the family. His helmet was smashed but not broken.
7 plants cut down
The firefighters cut the poplar branches and made the rest of the trunk safe. But there was concern about the condition of nearby trees, which could have fallen onto the road. For safety reasons, the stretch was closed and on the morning of Thursday 18 April Crea sent its technicians who cut down the most degraded plants and made the others safe. Traffic disruptions are expected throughout the day: the road will only be reopened once the operations have been completed.
Who was Ferruccio Paolo Carminati
Ferruccio Paolo Carminati was originally from Bottanuco, worked in a company in Levate and lived in a two-storey building with four apartments in Osio Sotto, in via San Donato 30, near the Sanctuary. His wife Tina Pitergi works at the Rsa Cerruti in Capriate San Gervasio and is well known in the village. The couple has a son, Pablo, who is currently abroad. «I had done a wine tasting course with him organized by the Municipality – comments a neighbor – I remember him as a very discreet person».
