In a fatal accident that occurred when the family was on holiday in the Italian island of Sardinia, the wife of Lufthansa (DLAKF) CEO Carsten Spohr struck 24-year-old Gaia Costa at a road junction while behind the wheel of her BMW X5 on July 8.
Vivian Alexandra Spohr, 51, was staying at the family vacation home in the upscale Porto Cervo resort in northern Sardinia and is now under investigation by Italian authorities.
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Sustaining several head injuries, Costa died on the spot shortly after impact, while Spohr was reported to have kept driving until passersby started yelling and trying to flag her down. Upon realizing what had happened, Spohr fainted on the scene.
Tests for alcohol and drugs in Spohr’s system came back negative and so the local prosecutor has initiated proceedings to charge her with involuntary manslaughter. The investigation is also looking at whether she was on her cell phone while driving, which is explicitly forbidden in all of Italy.
‘We must respect the pain of a destroyed family’: lawyer
Costa was working as a babysitter to some of the wealthy families staying in Porto Cervo. On July 15, family held a funeral in the small community during which mayor Gianni Addis described Costa as “cheerful and hardworking.”
“Gaia was a young woman who was deeply involved in the city’s social and cultural life,” Addis said further. “She was passionate about our traditions and never missed the parades of the local folk group.”
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Antonello Desini, a lawyer for the Costa family, requested that the public maintain a sense of “respect for the pain of a destroyed family.”
Italian news outlets further reported that witnesses at the time of the crash called out “Did you see what you did?” prior to her stopping to cooperate with authorities. Not legally required to stay in Italy before the charges are given out, Spohr departed for Germany on the same day as the crash.
Under posts of the crash on various social media outlets, Lufthansa passengers expressed criticism of Spohr’s role in what is currently known of the situation.
A photograph captures Vivian Spohr and Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr at a company event.
Image source: Shutterstock
‘Expresses her dismay and deep regret over this very serious accident’
“Vivian Spohr, who was involved in the tragic death, expresses her dismay and deep regret over this very serious accident,” Angelo Merlini, the Italian lawyer representing Spohr in the case, said in a statement which also states that his client “remains fully available to the Italian judicial authorities for the necessary investigations.”
“She is aware that such a great personal loss cannot be compensated, but she will take measures to mitigate the consequences,” the statement reads further.
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Both in the local community and online, the accident further ignited outcry about whether wealthy and powerful visitors are held to a different version of justice (an accusation mostly used to express frustration about past events, since charges have not yet been made).
Many flooded comments under posts on Lufthansa’s Instagram account with the hashtag #JusticeForGaia.
“In Lufthansa people know how to run,” said one of the commenters under a Lufthansa marketing video of a traveler running between different cities.
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