Cyclist killed when he was dragged under the wheels of HGV in London was an Italian PRINCE
AN ITALIAN prince was killed after his bike was pulled under the wheels of an HGV on the streets of London.
Filippo Corsini, 21-year-old heir to a Florentine noble family, died near Knightsbridge Underground station on Monday afternoon - the eighth cyclist to be killed in the capital this year.
The student was reportedly on his way to a class at Regent’s University London, where he was studying for a BA in International Business.
According to witnesses at the scene, Corsini was dragged 30 yards across the Knightsbridge box junction before he died of “catastrophic injuries”.
The prince was struck by the truck outside department store Harvey Nichols at 12.40pm.
He was pronounced dead by medics just half an hour later.
The Corsini family is one of Florence's oldest noble families. Their lineage can be traced all the way back to the middle ages.
The Corsini family tree boasts Pope Clemente XII, who founded Rome's Capitoline Museums and commissioned the infamous Trevi Fountain.
Today, the noble family owns a wine and oil production business, as well as a sizeable portfolio of various properties in Tuscany.
Dean Shami, 38, was leaving Knightsbridge Tube station when he came across the aftermath of the collision.
He told the : "The man died in front of me.
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"His body had been crushed underneath the third wheel of the truck. It was harrowing.
“More needs to be done to protect cyclists in London these huge trucks shouldn’t be driving in such a congested area.
Tributes have flooded in for the 21-year-old prince on Facebook, with friends remembering his passion for sport and his horses.
One friend wrote: “With your smile, with the laughter you gave us and the great undertakings you accomplished with your beloved Claretta Bella, we will never forget you. Bye, Prince. RIP.”
Another said: “I cannot believe it, he was a wonderful boy.
"I think about his mother Clotilde, his grandfather Paolo and all the other relatives whom I don’t know. I hug them all, with huge sadness.”
Speaking to the Evening Standard, one said: "He was a very nice guy, very hard working.
"Everyone was shocked when we got the message last night.”
Last month, the Mayor of London announced plans to introduce a 0-5 "star rating" for HGV safety, with the aim of banning most dangerous vehicles from London by the year 2020.
Campaigners yesterday urged Sadiq Khan to bring the plans forward, staging a "die-in" in Battersea.
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