Giovanni Buggea, who was in his 70s, was hit by a white HGV Renault lorry in The Square, Ballynahinch, on Monday and carried six miles towards the Seaforde area in what has been described as a “traumatic” ordeal.
Mr Buggea had lived in the Ballynahinch area for over 30 years and was originally from Sicily.
The father of two sons, he often greeted patrons of his local pub Paddy Kelly’s in his native Italian.
Speaking to this newspaper, pub owner Mark Murnin said he was the one who identified Mr Buggea as the person involved in the incident through his CCTV cameras.
Locator: Newcastle Road in Seaforde
“It’s been very traumatising,” he said. “It was my pub’s CCTV which captured him and what happened. It showed it was Giovanni involved, so it really came as a shock to me.”
Mr Murnin previously said he came across a shoe on the road on Monday and it wasn’t until he received a call from police that “two and two were put together”.
Despite the incident bringing shock throughout the small community, Mr Murnin said Ballynahinch is no stranger to this type of ordeal.
“This is the third time this has happened. There was another man who was very well known in the area, he lost his leg because of something similar,” he said.
“It’s the high volume of traffic in the town, there are a number of articulated vehicles that go through it. Like any town centre, people are trying to move from one side to the other.”
Mr Murnin added that Mr Buggea would often share stories of his family and life back in Italy.
“He was a quiet man, but he enjoyed company. Every time he came into the bar he greeted everyone in Italian, and when he left it was ‘ciao!’ He was very proud of his heritage.
“He would have talked to me about his family and missing them in Italy. He was really looking forward to going back to Sicily this summer, he had plans to travel.”
On Monday, police initially released a statement that several roads in the Co Down area had been closed, with the ambulance service later saying “no one had been taken from the scene”.
Mr Buggea’s remains were later discovered at a quarry site in the Seaforde area.
Inspector Cherith Adair from the PSNI’s collision investigation unit said: “A full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the road traffic collision is currently ongoing.
“We would appeal to anyone with any information or who may have dash-cam or mobile phone footage available to get in touch.
“We are particularly keen to hear from anyone who may have footage of both The Square area in Ballynahinch and the Newcastle Road, Seaforde between 3.30pm and 4pm, to contact us at the collision investigation unit at Sprucefield on 101, quoting reference number 1239 08/04/24.”
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
