A pregnant woman and her friend were killed when a hit-and-run driver ran over them on a highway as they stopped to assist accident victims.
The victims were identified by police in Rome, Italy as pregnant Wibe Bijls, 25, and Jessy Dewildeman, 24.
On August 8, a car collided with the pair on the A24 highway, resulting in their deaths.
The young women were left to die as the driver reportedly fled the scene on foot.
At the Tor Cervara interchange of the highway, the companions had exited their vehicle to assist a driver who had been rear-ended in a collision.
Wibe was 16 weeks pregnant, according to Wibe’s brother, who was unidentified in local media.
In the Belgian region of West Flanders, Menen, there was a restaurant where Wibe was the chef and Jessy the waitress.
According to Wibe’s brother, their father passed away in an accident last year and their mother passed away from cancer seven years ago.
He said: “She was in the sixteenth week. She was willing to help even those she didn’t know: that says a lot about Wibe’s character.”
Tragically, the pair had taken the dream trip to Italy after a client at Jessy’s restaurant had given them the holiday.
While emergency personnel got to the site quickly after the automobile struck them head-on, the two victims died from their wounds.
According to local media, police later detained a man.
Evelyne Derumeaux, Jessy’s mother, 50, told Belgian media: “Jessy was supposed to return from her trip to Rome today. I might have to go there instead to find her body.”
“Hopefully one day we will learn the truth,” she continued.
The inquiry is still ongoing.
