An Irish woman (22) is in hospital with serious head injuries after she was hit by a car in Italy last Sunday. Catania police said she was struck by a Smart car along Andrea Doria avenue in Catania, a city in southeast Sicily at about 5.30pm on Sunday, October 6th.
The woman had been crossing the road at a zebra crossing while jogging when she was struck by a car driven by a man (20s).
The woman was originally taken to a nearby hospital but has subsequently transferred to San Marco hospital in Catania where she had surgery.
She remains in intensive care in life-threatening but stable condition.
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The Department of Foreign Affairs said it was aware of the case and is providing consular assistance. As with all consular cases, the department does not comment on the detail of individual cases, it said.
Inspector Giovanni Oliva from Catania Police said the young man stopped to help the injured woman and called for help. The driver told police he did not notice the pedestrian crossing. A young woman in the car was not hurt.
An investigation has been opened by public prosecutors. Several other traffic incidents have occurred on the same part of Andrea Doria Avenue. It is 6km long and is one of the busiest streets in Catania, connecting the seaside district of Ognina with the nearby business area of Misterbianco. Last November an 18-year-old local student, Chiara Adorno, died in a crash on the same stretch.
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