"They woke me up suddenly while I was sleeping , in my house in Sassari, informing me that there had been a serious accident in Porto Torres and that a car had crashed into the window of our pharmacy . I was scared and thought the worst. When I arrived on the scene, I saw ambulances racing towards Sassari. We weren't on duty, and that was fortunate ; there were no customers in front of the counter, otherwise we would have been able to tell more by now."
Carmen Scaccia, one of the owners of the pharmacy business run by her family, recounts the tragic accident that occurred last night on the central Via Sassari. Three people were injured, but fortunately none were life-threatening.
The driver of the BMW, a 50-year-old resident of Porto Torres, fared worst, suffering fractured ribs . Falling asleep at the wheel, he apparently crossed into the oncoming lane while heading toward the city center . The car inevitably collided with the oncoming Alfa Romeo, which attempted to brake and, after spinning, hit a disabled sign and then, like a loose cannon, smashed its rear end through the shatterproof glass of the Scaccia pharmacy.
Inside the store, two product display shelves were damaged, but the main costs are attributable to the glass window, which will need to be replaced immediately if business is to continue.
The loud bang following the violent impact attracted the attention of residents who took to the streets and alerted 112. Two 118 ambulances, the fire brigade and the Carabinieri of the Porto Torres company were on site.
Paramedics transported the three injured people, including the driver and a passenger of the Alfa Romeo, to Sassari. "We were scared; the noise woke us up, and we ran out into the street and saw the pharmacy window shattered," neighbors said. "We thought something serious had happened. People drive at high speeds on this street without considering the risks to others."