Monica Esposito, 55, dies after two-month fight for life following Modena car attack
Monica Esposito, 55, never regained consciousness after being struck by a car driven by Salim El Koudri on 16 May in central Modena. She died on Wednesday at Baggiovara hospital, becoming the first fatality among the eight people injured.
The attack
On 16 May 2026, Salim El Koudri, a 31-year-old Italian citizen of Moroccan origin, drove a Citroen C3 into pedestrians in central Modena. Eight people were injured. Monica Esposito, 55, was walking with her husband, also 55, when the car struck them. She was pinned against a wall and lost both legs. Immediate medical intervention prevented her from bleeding to death at the scene, but her condition was critical from the start. Passers-by, including two Egyptian men, subdued El Koudri after he pulled a knife following the collision.
Hospitalization and death
Esposito was initially admitted to the Ospedale Maggiore in Bologna alongside her husband, who suffered multiple traumas but was stable and not in immediate danger of life. She remained in intensive care, never regaining consciousness. In the following weeks she was transferred to the intensive care unit at the Ospedale Civile di Baggiovara, part of the Modena university-hospital network. Despite all medical and surgical efforts, her condition deteriorated irreversibly. She died on the morning of 22 July 2026.
- Salim El Koudri drives a Citroen C3 into pedestrians in central Modena, injuring eight. Monica Esposito is pinned against a wall, losing both legs.
- Esposito is moved from Bologna's Ospedale Maggiore to the intensive care unit at Baggiovara hospital in Modena.
- Esposito dies at Baggiovara hospital without ever regaining consciousness, becoming the first fatality of the attack.
Organ donation
Esposito's family, respecting wishes she had expressed earlier, consented to organ donation. The hospital directorates, doctors and nursing staff of the university-hospital authority, the Modena local health authority and the Bologna local health authority issued a joint statement offering their "most heartfelt condolences to the patient's family."
Official reactions
Emilia-Romagna regional president Michele de Pascale described the news as terrible and said the whole region was embracing the family with affection and closeness in their moment of profound sorrow.
A terrible piece of news, which fills us with sadness. The whole of Emilia-Romagna embraces the family with affection and closeness in this moment of profound pain.
The mayor of Modena offered condolences to Esposito's husband, children, siblings and all relatives, and called for justice.
My most sincere condolences go to her husband, who was also injured on 16 May, to her daughters and son, to her brothers, sisters and all family members. In this moment of pain we must set aside all controversy and let a sense of human closeness prevail. This loss strengthens the demand for full justice against those responsible for this terrible attack.
Investigation status
El Koudri remains in pre-trial detention, with authorities citing a risk of flight and the danger of repeat offending. He is an economics graduate who was unemployed and had been suffering from schizoid mental disorders since 2022, with no previous criminal record. Investigations are ongoing.
