Tourist Killed in Freak Statue Accident on Vacation in Italy

A young tourist was killed in a freak accident in Naples, Italy earlier this week as her boyfriend watched helplessly.

Chiara Jaconis, 30, died several days after a metal statue toppled without warning from a nearby building and knocked her unconscious on Sept. 15 in the city’s Spanish Quarters. Jaconis was headed to the airport with her boyfriend, 29-year-old Livio Rousseau. In graphic footage reviewed by The New York Post , both can be seen wheeling their luggage in the moments before the incident. The falling statue strikes Jaconis without warning and she collapses to the ground as Rousseau runs to her side. Il Mattino reported that Jaconis was taken to the Vecchio Pellegrini hospital before being transferred to the Ospedale del Mare facility, where she died on Tuesday morning.

On Monday, Gianfredo Jaconis, the victim’s father, expressed his heartfelt thanks to witnesses, doctors, and medical staff who worked tirelessly to aid his daughter. On the afternoon following Jaconis’ death, mourners gathered in the Spanish Quarters to pay tribute with a candlelight vigil. Politicians also issued statements of support, with Naples’ mayor, Gaetano Manfredi, calling her death “a great sorrow, a tragedy that deeply affects us all.”

“We hoped until the end that Chiara could return home 'to her usual life and her family,” said Luca Zaia, governor of Jaconis’ native region. “We still do not understand the dynamics. I hope clarity is achieved, even though it will not bring her back.”

Jaconis was a native of Padua, Italy, who was vacationing in Naples. She worked as a store manager at a local Prada outlet and had previously managed more than a dozen stores in France. Local authorities are currently investigating the incident. According to reports, there’s a possibility those responsible for maintaining the statue may face manslaughter charges.