Traffic police officer lost leg in Rome crash.

Rome traffic police are set to strike following a serious crash in the capital on Wednesday in which a trainee vigile urbano lost a leg after being hit by a drunk off-duty carabiniere.

The industrial action will be divided between Friday 8 November, when members of the Ospol, Ugl and Sulpl trade unions will strike from 16.00 to 19.00, and an as-yet unannounced date next week when members of the Cgil, Cisl and Uil unions will stage a 24-hour strike.

The protests are to demand greater safety and rights for traffic police, sparked by the road accident on Wednesday which saw three vigili urbani hospitalised in a serious condition.

• Rome traffic police officers hit by drunk off-duty carabiniere

The youngest of the three muncipal officers hit in the crash, 25-year-old new recruit Daniele Virgili, had to have one leg amputated and risked losing the other leg.

Condemning the unsafe working conditions of traffic police, the Sulpl secretary in Rome Marco Milani noted bitterly on Thursday that Virgili "unfortunately risks losing his job, in addition to his limbs" if his convalescence period exceeds eight consecutive months.

"It is no longer possible to watch this continuous attack on the safety and health of the women and men of the local police of Rome without reacting" - Ospol said in the strike notice - "Safety and security in the workplace are not negotiable”.

The strike action on Friday will coincide with a nationwide 24-hour strike affecting local public transport services in cities across Italy.

Photo credit: Cineberg / Shutterstock.com.