Macerata, August 12, 2026 – “I am convinced that the cause of this tragedy must be sought either in someone who misapplied the laws or in the laws themselves. In the event that it is understood that there was a failure or a mismanagement of procedures, whoever made the mistake will (hopefully) take responsibility. But if it is understood that there are wrong laws, I believe it is natural to turn to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, since it is a road accident, and involve its highest institutional representative, namely the Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini.”
Speaking is Maurizio Francalancia, father of twenty-year-old Daniele, who along with friends Nicolas Calabrese and Giorgio Franceschini lost his life following the highway accident on June 14. A month ago the social promotion association TriStar was founded “to preserve the memory and transform it into a path of love towards the community,” which currently has about 300 members.
In these hours the website (www.tristarmacerata.it) has also been created and becoming a member is even easier. The fundraising for the multipurpose space/gathering place for young people has meanwhile reached about 55 thousand euros (donations also come from ceremonies, such as communions). And it continues. The new IBAN is IT28 P030 6234 2100 0000 3245 404.
A week ago TriStar sent an email to Minister Salvini’s office to request a meeting and start a dialogue, with particular reference to the prevention of accidents caused by driving in conditions incompatible with road safety and the need to strengthen control systems, assessment of fitness to drive, and license reinstatement. The results of the toxicological analysis on Christian Perugini – the 41-year-old from Morrovalle who also died in the crash, driving the car that collided with the group of young people – had found alcohol and psychotropic drugs in high concentrations.
Maurizio Francalancia, why did you, as TriStar, you parents and the friends of Nicolas, Giorgio, and Daniele write to the minister?
“We consider it essential to start an institutional dialogue so that what happened can become an opportunity to identify concrete solutions and help prevent similar tragedies from happening again. The goal of the meeting is not only to address a single case but to contribute to building a more effective system of prevention and protection of life on our roads. Following the toxicological tests, it emerged that the driver of the other vehicle was driving under the influence of alcohol and psychotropic drugs. This circumstance has opened a deep reflection on the effectiveness of the tools currently available to prevent similar situations. There are predictable misfortunes that can be avoided. And we would like to work on this.”
Any news on the investigations?
“No, our lawyers have been requesting a copy of the report in court for some time to deepen the case but have not yet been able to obtain it. It is not easy. And for us, one more week of waiting is equivalent to months.”
Your son, however, driving the Fiat Punto, returning from Civitanova, had a blood alcohol level of zero…
“Yes, that was confirmed. They were all good kids. In their group, whoever drives does not drink: there is a designated driver for every outing. That evening Daniele had told his mother that he would go pick up his friends and bring them home. He was supposed to undergo a cruciate ligament surgery a few days later, at Villa Stuart in Rome. After the first operation performed at Villa Pini, in fact, he had a bad infection and was hospitalized at the Macerata hospital for 35 days between November and December (discharged the day before Christmas Eve). But that infection compromised the work of the first surgery, so two more were scheduled at Villa Stuart, in September and January. However, the first was then brought forward to June. Daniele was happy. But he was not able to have it. The medical team, on the day the operation was supposed to take place, observed a minute of silence. My son, in view of the surgery and also because of the many antibiotics he had to take, followed a careful diet, without alcohol or heavy foods to cleanse the liver.”
Are you in contact with the two surviving boys?
“Yes, always. Michele Calcagni (who chose the association’s name, ed.) is part of the board and we would like to do the same for Simone Bracaccini, who at the time of TriStar’s founding could not be there due to treatment.”
