Boy, 9, crushed to death by falling goalpost as devastated dad tries to save him
A nine-year-old boy has tragically died in a freak accident when a goalpost fell on him as he flew his kite.
Emergency services rushed to the scene after Gioele Putzu was struck by a free-standing football goal, which crushed his abdomen. Despite paramedics' efforts for over an hour, the young boy was sadly pronounced dead at the location.
Witnessing the harrowing event, Gioele's father, Ivan, could do nothing but watch as his son's life slipped away on a field in Ozieri, Sardinia, Italy.
Gioele, from Olbia, had travelled with his family to see the rapper Fedez in concert on Saturday (September 14).
In the aftermath, Ivan expressed his anguish on social media, criticising the rapper for not cancelling the performance following the incident.
Ivan posted: "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."
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Fedez responded to the criticism on social media, stating that he had been informed of the tragedy just before taking the stage and had requested a minute's silence from the audience. Ivan later expressed regret over his initial post.
Doctors have identified the cause of death as abdominal trauma from compression, resulting in a fatal heart injury. There are no plans to conduct an autopsy on the boy's remains, but an external examination of the body was carried out early yesterday at the Institute of Forensic Medicine, and an additional CT scan is planned to gather more information on the young boy's cause of death.
Gioele's body will be laid to rest in Olbia today. The prosecutor's office and local police are now conducting an investigation to determine if there were any issues with the maintenance and safety measures of the sports field.