NAME/ Tragedy for Albanian family in Italy as 59-year-old dies in workplace accident

A 59-year-old Albanian man has died after falling from scaffolding at a construction site in Rivabella, Rimini. Italian media reported that the incident occurred at around 1:30 p.m. on Monday.

The victim was identified as Saim Myrtaj.

Following the tragedy, the Rimini Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation into negligent homicide, currently against unidentified persons, in order to fully establish the circumstances of the accident.

One of the main focuses of the investigation is determining the cause of the fall. Authorities are checking whether Myrtaj accidentally lost his balance, may have suffered a health problem or whether there were issues with safety conditions at the construction site.

According to Italian media, investigators have placed under seizure the scaffolding from which the 59-year-old fell. Its structure and protective systems will be examined, along with the methods used to move from one level to another and compliance with safety regulations for working at heights.

Authorities will also verify what personal protective equipment Myrtaj was wearing at the time of the accident.

The autopsy is also expected to play an important role in the investigation, determining the exact cause of death and the injuries he sustained. The examination may also help reconstruct the moments before the fall.

According to the preliminary reconstruction, which is still being verified by investigators, Myrtaj was alone on the second level of the scaffolding, which had been erected along the exterior façade of a two-story building where maintenance work was being carried out.

He is believed to have fallen through an opening in the scaffolding platform used for the staircase leading from one level to the next.

After falling several meters, the 59-year-old landed on the terrace of a first-floor apartment.

The alarm was raised by the apartment’s resident, who heard a loud impact from outside. When he went out to see what had happened, he was confronted with the tragic scene and immediately notified the authorities.

Medical teams, firefighters, State Police officers and occupational medicine technicians arrived at the scene. In the hours following the accident, Myrtaj’s employer, the owner of a construction company in the area, was questioned by police.

According to initial information, the 59-year-old had a tax identification number and worked as an independent tradesman for other companies. In the past, he had also operated his own business in the construction sector.

Myrtaj had moved to Rimini in the early 2000s and had worked mainly as a bricklayer. He is survived by his wife and two children, a son and a daughter.

The news has also caused grief in the Albanian community in the Rimini area. The Agimi Rimini association publicly expressed its condolences to the family and its sorrow over the loss of their compatriot.

The investigation is continuing to determine whether the accident was the result of a chance circumstance or whether safety regulations were violated at the construction site.