He was in Rome with his entire family to celebrate his uncle’s graduation, and instead what was supposed to be a day of celebration for everyone suddenly turned into the most terrible nightmare. The very young Rocco Barbagallo, 11 years old, originally from San Giacomo, a populous hamlet of Acri, who arrived in the capital with his parents, brother and sister to celebrate his uncle, has been hospitalized in the resuscitation department of the Bambino Gesù pediatric hospital since Tuesday morning, with a reserved prognosis, intubated, after having undergone a very delicate surgical operation. According to an initial reconstruction of what happened, it was around 11.40 when Rocco, who was with his family in a B&B in via Beniamino De Ritis, Tiburtina area, leaned out of the balcony to greet his little sister who was coming out of the door. At that moment, he lost his balance, falling approximately 12 metres. The boy’s body, before ending up on the ground, under the disconcerted eyes of many passers-by, would have hit the bonnet of a van which, being parked under the window of the B&B, would have partially cushioned the impact of the body on the asphalt.
The desperate screams of the mother who wouldn’t have had time to grab her son from inside the room who had leaned too far out of that damned window, the desperate run of the father down into the street, amid the heartbreaking screams. The 118 health workers were immediately alerted on site and then the race, in code red, towards the Bambin Gesù pediatric hospital where the little boy was immediately subjected to a very delicate surgery which lasted several hours, above all to reduce the cerebral hematoma suffered following the fall.
The words of mother Santina who in an interview said she saw her son on the balcony were touching. «I told him to go back inside, he could get hurt. I went towards him and at that moment I saw him fall into the void. I ran towards the windowsill and tried to grab it but it was useless.” Then father Enrico added: «I heard my wife’s scream and almost at the same time the thud. I went down the stairs barefoot, I took my son in my arms, he was conscious but there was blood everywhere.” The Scientific Police and the Rome Flying Squad are investigating the dynamics of the accident. Investigations are also underway into the safety of the B&B where the family was staying.
Meanwhile, the news of the accident spread rapidly in the city yesterday, triggering a succession of messages, especially on social media, addressed primarily to Rocco by many of his classmates and also from football school where he played as goalkeeper, and to his family. Mayor Pino Capalbo also expressed his immense sadness over what happened in a post. «I am deeply saddened by the news of the accident suffered in Rome by one of our very young fellow citizens. May the prayers of the entire city of Acre reach his hospital bed and help him recover soon. Come on Rocco, hold on.” Yesterday evening in the parish church of San Giacomo an entire community, together with the parish priest Don Espedito De Bonis, celebrated a holy rosary for the young Rocco, clasping themselves with prayer to a mother and father who are experiencing hours of great anguish.
