All technicians and politicians acquitted in the Court of Appeal for the death of the worker Guido Zabena who drowned in 2018 in a tunnel with his car

The appeal process on the tragic death of Guido Zabena, the worker from Favria who drowned in the underpass between Rivarolo and Feletto on 3 July 2018, ended with the acquittal of all five defendants.

Initially, the Ivrea court had sentenced them to 12 months for manslaughter: the mayor of Rivarolo, Alberto Rostagno, the deputy Francesco Diemoz, the former councilor Lara Schialvino, the head of the local police, Sergio Cavallo, and the former chief technical office, Enrico Colombo.

However, the judges of the Court of Appeal overturned the sentence: Rostagno and Diemoz were acquitted because the act did not constitute a crime, while Schialvino, Cavallo and Colombo were acquitted because they did not commit the act. The Court accepted the defense’s thesis, which demonstrated how the Rivarolo administration took all the necessary precautions to avoid such incidents.

That evening, after work, Guido Zabena accompanies a colleague who lives in Feletto home. Although she suggests he avoid the underpass due to the persistent rain, he decides to ignore her advice and goes through the tunnel anyway. Unfortunately, he gets trapped in there. Instead of trying to get out of his car, he panics. He calls his elderly parents for help and stays on the phone with his mother for about 40 minutes, while his father goes to the nearest police station to ask for help.

And yet, help was sent from Ivrea instead of Rivarolo. When they finally reach the underpass, it is too late for Zabena: the water has completely invaded the car, with his body still sitting behind the wheel with his seatbelt on.

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