The tragic accident took place during a Catholic religious festival, and the father of the nine-year-old victim sent an angry message to a singer performing nearby
A nine-year-old boy has died in a freak accident after a goalpost fell onto him during a storm.
Paramedics were called to the scene after a free-standing football goal fell onto Gioele Putzu, crushing his abdomen. But after an hour-long struggle to save his life the child was tragically declared dead at the scene.
Gioele’s devastated dad, Ivan, could only look on helplessly as his son’s life ebbed away in the field in Ozieri, Sardinia, Italy.
Gioele, who lived in Olbia, travelled to the region with his family to see rap star Fedez at a concert on Saturday (September 14).
His later took to social media to slam the rapper for going ahead with the gig after the tragedy.
Ivan wrote: “Hi, Fedez. I thought you were more compassionate, especially since you have children. While you were performing in Ozieri, I, Gioele’s father, was 200 metres away from you.
“I was on the ground with my son, begging him to open his eyes and asking for my life in exchange for his. We live in Olbia and came to Ozieri because my son sang your songs and wanted to see you perform live.
“He never got that chance. You could have chosen not to perform for one night out of respect for my grief.”
Fedez later took to social media to defend himself.
He said he’d learnt of the tragedy shortly before going on stage and asked the audience to observe a minute of silence. Ivan later said he regretted making the post.
Doctors say his cause of death as abdominal trauma from compression, resulting in a fatal heart injury. There are no plans to autopsy the boy’s remains, but an external examination of the body was held early yesterday at the Institute of Forensic Medicine, and an additional CT scan is planned to obtain further information on the little boy’s cause of of death.
Gioele’s body will be laid to rest in Olbia today. The prosecutor’s office and local police are now investigating to determine if there was any fault with the maintenance and safety measures of the sports field.
