Suffered a stroke

Rebellin’s fatal driver in critical condition

A German truck driver charged in Italy following the fatal road accident involving ex-professional cyclist Davide Rebellin is in a hospital in Treviso after suffering a stroke on Monday night. His condition is critical, according to Italian media reports. 

Another court hearing in the trial against the truck driver was due to take place today, Monday, at a court in Vicenza. The trial has been suspended.

Hit and run after collision
The man had rammed Rebellin with his vehicle on November 30, 2022 in the municipality of Montebello Vicentino (Veneto region) and then committed a hit-and-run. He handed himself in to the authorities seven months later and was detained in Vicenza prison. He was previously under house arrest in an apartment in the province of Treviso with friends. The Rebellin family was compensated with 825,000 euros through an insurance company.

The athlete, who had recently ended his professional career, had been on a training ride. According to the police, analysis of surveillance cameras, witness statements and joint investigations with authorities in Austria, Slovenia and Germany revealed that the long-distance driver was involved in the accident. It was also established that the man got out after the accident, approached Rebellin, who was lying on the ground, but then drove away. He is now accused of causing death on the road and failing to render assistance.

Giro stage won
Rebellin was a specialist in one-day races and won the classics Amstel Gold Race, Fleche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège within a week in 2004. In 1996, he also won a stage of the Giro d'Italia. He later made negative headlines when he was stripped of his 2008 Olympic silver medal in Beijing due to doping.