Counteract and prevent road accidents by enhancing the rules with the support of multidisciplinary skills and professionalism. These are some of the principles underlying the Memorandum of Understanding signed today between the Public Prosecutor’s Office at the Court of Messina, the City’s Health Authorities and the Police Forces for toxicological investigations in cases of road homicide and serious or very serious personal injury.
In a historical moment in which there is a resurgence of road accidents and in light of the introduction of the crime of road homicide, it is increasingly crucial to be able to count on multidisciplinary skills and professionalism that can facilitate the correct assessment of the state of intoxication or psychophysical alteration in case of taking narcotic or psychotropic substances.
In the event that road accidents occur, in which one or more people have died or suffered serious injuries, a control network will be activated immediately which, within the healthcare facilities, will make it possible to search, in compliance with the guarantees of individual freedoms, in blood and saliva, the concentration of alcohol or the possible presence of narcotic or psychotropic substances. In particular, the samples taken from the city hospitals that will receive the victims will first be sent to the Messina ASP Laboratory which will carry out the first level screening analysis; in case of positivity the sample will be sent to the AOU G. Martino for level II confirmatory analyses.
The objective underlying the protocol is, in fact, to be able to count on the scientific validity of the data for a full and correct application of the law by the police forces who find themselves patrolling the territory every day, above all with a preventive and of repression of incorrect behaviour.
Signatories of the Protocol are the Public Prosecutor, Dr. Antonio D’Amato, the General Director of the Provincial Health Company of Messina, Dr. Giuseppe Cuccì, the Director of the University Hospital “G. Martino” of Messina, Dr. Giorgio Giulio Santonocito, the General Director of the Papardo Hospital Dr. Catena Di Blasi, the Administrative Director of the Piedmont Hospital – IRCCS “Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo” Felicita Crupi, representing the General Director Dr. Maurizio Lanza, the Police Commissioner of Messina Dr. Annino Gargano, the Provincial Commander of the Carabinieri of Messina, Colonel Lucio Arcidiacono, the Provincial Commander of the Guardia di Finanza of Messina Colonel t. SPEF Girolamo Franchetti and for the Messina Traffic Police Section the Director, Dr. Antonio Capodicasa.
A protocol, the one signed today also in the presence of the Rector of the University of Messina Prof. Giovanna Spatari, which opens up even broader perspectives and which has among its underlying motivations the desire to apply a constructive and concrete synergy between institutions to promote also a training and knowledge activity on multiple levels, from professionals to young students, so that culture and awareness can promote greater awareness, especially on the adoption of correct behaviors – such as not driving if drinking alcohol – which they help save many lives.