The family of a woman who was killed in an alleged hit-and-run by the wife of Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr, has been “destroyed” by her death.
Gaia Costa, a 24-year-old babysitter, was walking across a pedestrian crossing in Sardinia earlier this week when she was struck, according to local outlet II Sole 24 ORE.
“At this time, we must respect the pain of a destroyed family,” said Antonello Desini, a lawyer for the Costa family, per Italian media.
Desini added that his “clients have the utmost confidence in the work of the Tempio Public Prosecutor’s Office,” who will be handling the case.
The New York Post reports that Costa’s father is a well-known unionist for Confederazione Italiana Sindacati Lavoratori – one of the largest trade union organizations in Italy.
The incident occurred on Tuesday at around 1.00 p.m. Local media reported that 51-year-old Vivian Spohr was driving a BMW X5 SUV with her daughter as a passenger, when the crash occurred.
Witnesses told police that they saw Costa extend her arm to signal for the driver to stop, but instead watched as the vehicle accelerated, striking her.
“Vivian Spohr, who was involved in the tragic death, expresses her dismay and deep regret over this very serious accident, which has devastated a family, the town of Tempio, and the entire community of Gallura,” a statement released Friday by Spohr’s attorneys read.
The statement added that Spohr places herself “at the complete disposal of the Italian judicial authorities for the necessary investigations and, while aware that such a great personal loss cannot be repaired, will take steps to mitigate its consequences.”
Emergency services at the scene attempted to revive Costa for around 20 minutes before pronouncing her dead at the scene as a result of severe head trauma.
Reports suggest authorities are investigating whether Spohr was using her phone at the time of the incident. Her alcohol and drug tests were negative, according L’Unione Sarda.
The Spohr family had been spending time at a home they own on the island close to the community of Porto Cervo. After the collision, the family returned to Germany.
Carsten Spohr has been the CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa AG since May 2014. He runs the Lufthansa Group, comprising the business segments of Network Airlines, Eurowings, Logistics, and MRO. They have over 100,000 employees worldwide.
An autopsy on the body of Costa will be carried out on Wednesday.
