Road worker killed by car on A11 near Florence as Tuscan unions call four-hour strike

The crash on the A11

A 48-year-old road worker employed by Autostrade per l'Italia was struck by a car overnight on the A11 motorway, near the Prato Est toll booth in Campi Bisenzio, in the Florence area. Reports say he was in the emergency lane when he was hit, and the reason he was there has not been established. Rescuers reached the scene quickly, but nothing could be done to save him. The 71-year-old man behind the wheel stopped after the impact and was taken to hospital in shock. Traffic backed up for long stretches while the state road police handled the rescue and the accident measurements, and the queues cleared during the night.

Who he was

Il Sole 24 ORE reports that the man was 48 years old, of Senegalese origin, and lived in Lucca. He held a regular contract with Autostrade per l'Italia and was on a night shift for routine motorway checks. Rai reports that he was working at a site when the car hit him. Prosecutors and police are still examining how the accident happened.

Unions call a four-hour strike

Filt Cgil, Fit Cisl and Uiltrasporti have called a four-hour regional strike for Tuesday 10 November 2026, covering workers on the Quarto Tronco Autostrade in Tuscany. A protest is set for 10:30 to 12 near the church of San Giovanni Battista, the church of the Autostrada del Sole, at the Florence toll exit. In a joint note the unions said the cause of the accident is still being checked and that the competent authorities must establish the facts without drawing conclusions in advance. They also demanded faster prevention measures, constant and effective checks, and an end to lone working on the network.

“Another life broken. A family hit by immense pain, a tragedy involving the whole sector.”

Regional and national context

Eugenio Giani, president of the Tuscany region, has asked for a review of working conditions at night worksites along the motorways. He acknowledged that night work spares drivers much of the disruption of daytime works, and he insisted that all of it must happen with absolute and great safety.

“It is right to work at night, we know how much inconvenience there would otherwise be during the day.”

Il Sole 24 ORE also reports that on the morning of 9 November a worker died in Naples when a balcony slab gave way during renovation work at a bed and breakfast that had no contract, a fall of about 10 metres. Prosecutors in Naples are investigating on the hypothesis of culpable homicide and culpable collapse against unknown persons, pending checks on undeclared work. Cgil data cited by the same outlet puts workplace deaths in Italy above 700 since the start of 2026. According to Il Fatto Quotidiano, seven fatal workplace accidents were recorded in the previous week (2 to 8 November), and further deaths were reported in Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Piedmont, Campania and Puglia.