- Italian rally champion Giulia Maroni has reportedly died after falling 50 metres
- The 37-year-old was said to be walking her dog with her partner on Sunday
- Maroni was flown to Maggiore Hospital in Bologna but died from her injuries
Italian rally champion Giulia Maroni has reportedly died after falling 50 meters while walking her dog in the Modena Apennines.
The 37-year-old was reportedly walking her dog with her partner Simona Panzacchi on Sunday afternoon when she slipped and fell from the mountain edge.
Maroni – who was hiking Mount Libro Aperto in the Pizzo dei Sassi Bianchi area – reportedly fell 50 meters high, crashing into trees and rocks along the way.
Maroni’s partner is said to have called the emergency services, who arrived on the scene to transport the rally driver to the Maggiore hospital in Bologna.
Maroni arrived at the hospital and was treated, but her injuries proved fatal and she died on Sunday evening, January 28.
Italian rally champion Giulia Maroni has reportedly died after falling 50 meters while walking her dog in the Modena Apennines
Maroni’s partner is said to have called the emergency services, who arrived on the scene to transport the rally driver to the Maggiore hospital in Bologna.
Mountain rescue station head Nicolas Barattini told local media: “We immediately saw that the woman’s condition was unfortunately very serious.”
Barattini continued: ‘It was a tragic fatal accident, the woman (Maroni) put her foot down badly and slipped.’
The 4X4 Magazine, with which Maroni worked as a correspondent and photographer, released the following statement: ‘The week starts with very bad news.
‘An accident in the mountains took away Giulia Maroni, a passionate sportsman and off-roader, who had also collaborated with our magazine. Tear Giulia.”
Lina Van De Mars, who qualified alongside Maroni in the 2021 FIA European Cup for Cross-Country Bajas, paid her respects.
She reportedly wrote, “We were just making new plans for the 2024 season. It was an honor to know you. It was a pleasure racing with you.
Still proud of the fact that we became European vice-champion in the world of Baja and Rally Raid racing. I’m still in shock. Hoping that smiles and sunshine will be with you.”
Maroni and her partner were regular hikers and shared photos of themselves in Montenegro, Croatia and Sicily.
They posted a photo of themselves soaking up the sun on a hike in the Canary Islands and battling the snow while completing Cima Tauffi in Columbia.
Maroni called their trips “healthy vacations” on her Instagram page and joked “long live active wild adventures” on one of her posts.
Maroni was also a passionate rally driver: he won the 2021 Italian Cross-Country Rally and took part in the Dakar Rally as a co-driver and navigator.
More to follow…