It was a late summer morning, with traffic slowing along the Tuscan stretch of the A1 between the Arezzo and Valdarno junctions, when a lorry ploughed into an ambulance stationary in a queue at kilometre 339 on the northbound carriageway. The date was 4 August 2025. The heavy vehicle did not brake, striking the ambulance at around 100 km/h. Three people on board the emergency vehicle were killed: Franco Lovari, 75, a patient being transported for scheduled cardiac checks; Gianni Trappolini, 56, the ambulance driver for the Misericordia di Terranuova Bracciolini (Brotherhood of Mercy of Terranuova Bracciolini); and Giulia Santoni, 23, a nursing student and volunteer. Three cars and a caravan were also involved in the collision, with a final toll of between 15 and 18 injured, one in critical condition. The motorway remained closed for hours in both directions.
At the wheel of the lorry was Fabio M., 59, a haulier originally from Savona and living in the Cuneo area. From the first weeks after the crash, investigators focused on smartphone distraction. Analysis of the man’s phone and social media accounts uncovered more than 900 videos recorded during work journeys, many showing him driving. One video was recorded and posted minutes before the accident, with a timestamp matching the morning of 4 August 2025, providing evidence of real-time phone use while the lorry was travelling on the A1. Road surface inspections found no braking marks, confirming complete inattention at the moment of impact.
The Polizia Stradale (Traffic Police) and the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Arezzo immediately opened an investigation for multiple counts of vehicular homicide, later described by several outlets as homicide with conscious negligence. The prosecution relied on three main elements: speed incompatible with traffic conditions and the absence of braking documented by investigators; the use of a mobile phone not for work purposes but to record videos for TikTok and YouTube while driving; and the habitual nature of this behaviour, evidenced by hundreds of videos filmed along the same routes. In legal terms, “conscious negligence” refers to a driver who did not intend a fatal outcome but knowingly accepted the risk associated with their conduct and continued the dangerous behaviour.
On 11 April 2026, the preliminary hearing judge in Arezzo approved an agreement between the defence and the prosecution: five years’ imprisonment. This exceeds the two-year threshold and therefore entails detention, subject to any alternative measures that may later be assessed by the supervisory court. Factors supporting the plea bargain included the defendant’s lack of prior convictions, his cooperation during the investigation, the initiation of compensation proceedings for the victims’ families, and his admission of responsibility.
The case does not end with the sentence. Civil litigation over damages remains ongoing. There is also a regulatory dimension. Article 173 of the Highway Code prohibits the use of radiotelephone devices requiring the use of hands while driving, with administrative penalties and licence suspension in cases of repeat offences. For professional drivers of heavy vehicles, not only the driving licence but also the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence may be suspended, directly affecting their ability to work. The A1 case has, however, highlighted a phenomenon not explicitly addressed by existing rules: not phone calls or messages, but the systematic production of self-recorded video content while driving, aimed at gaining visibility and engagement on social media.
From a regulatory standpoint, legal experts and industry specialists are debating whether the current Highway Code framework is sufficient or whether specific rules should be introduced for the use of devices intended for content creation while driving industrial vehicles. Proposals circulating in public debate include stricter ancillary penalties, with longer suspensions of licences and Driver CPCs in cases of phone use for social media activity; mandatory periodic checks by transport companies on corporate devices and driver conduct; and clear guidelines for social media platforms on content filmed while driving heavy vehicles.
