Italy Bridge Collapse Trial: Verdicts Expected for 57 Defendants
The trial of 57 defendants charged in the 2018 Genoa bridge collapse that killed 43 people has reached its final stages. The defendants, including former executives of highway operator Autostrade per L’Italia, experts from its engineering company SPEA, and former officials from Italy’s Infrastructure Ministry, are expected to face verdicts and sentencing on Thursday.
Background and Timeline
The Morandi highway bridge in Genoa, considered an engineering marvel when it opened in 1967, collapsed on August 14, 2018, during a rainstorm. The 200-meter section of the bridge gave way, sending dozens of vehicles plummeting to the ground. The images of the collapsed bridge were seen around the world and shocked Italians on one of Italy’s busiest travel days.
Prosecutors have argued that years of maintenance neglect led to the collapse, and have demanded combined sentences totaling nearly 400 years for all of the defendants. The defendants deny wrongdoing, claiming the fault was caused by a construction defect.
Investigation and Trial
The trial, which has spanned over 280 hearings over four years, has revealed a pattern of maintenance neglect and a lack of accountability. Lawyers representing the victims have argued that warning signs about defects in the pylon that collapsed had existed for decades.
Raffaele Caruso, a lawyer representing the family members of three victims, said that the trial has shown that the problem was known since 1993, but no action was taken to address it. Caruso cited maintenance on the other two pylons that had shown the same defect, but no one seriously asked whether the third pylon had it as well.
The current Autostrade chief executive, Arrigo Giana, has issued a public apology in an open letter published in major Italian dailies. Giana acknowledged the actions and decisions of some people had left indelible scars and offered an apology that was not made then.
A new bridge designed by Genoa-born Italian architect Renzo Piano opened in 2020, spanning a memorial to the victims of the Morandi Bridge collapse.
Corporate Liability and Settlements
Autostrade and its subsidiary reached a deal on corporate liability earlier in the proceedings, paying roughly 30 million euros ($34 million) in financial penalties. The agreement spared the companies from a trial as corporate defendants and potentially much harsher sanctions, including exclusion from public contracts.
The settlements were reached after the companies adopted new compliance procedures aimed at preventing similar crimes and after victims were compensated.
Verdicts and Sentencing
The verdicts and sentencing will cap a trial that has been marked by controversy and debate. The families of the victims are expected to pack the courtroom on Thursday, seeking justice and recognition for their loved ones.
Lawyers representing the victims have expressed their expectation of feeling their pain recognized and acknowledged that the disaster did not happen by chance, but because of serious failures in maintenance.
