Relatives of a 6-Year-Old Boy Who’s the Sole Survivor of a Cable Car Accident in Italy Fighting For Custody

Custody Case Opens At Israeli Court For Italy Cable Car Crash Survivor

(Photo : Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images)
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL - OCTOBER 08: Shmuel Peleg (R), the maternal grandfather of Eitan Biran, arrives to court for a hearing on the alleged kidnapping of his grandchild on October 8, 2021 in Tel Aviv, Israel. The sole survivor of an Italian cable car crash, 6 year-old Eitan Biran of Israeli nationality was living in Italy with his family prior to the crash and is now in Israel until a family custody battle is settled at court.

A 6-year-old boy who happens to be the only survivor of a cable car accident in Italy is caught in between his relatives' custody battle.

According to CNN, Eitan Biran's parents, two great-grandparents, and brother were killed after a cable snapped during a ride at the Stresa-Mottarone in May.

Biran, 6, is the only survivor of the crash but suffered some serious injuries and was rushed to a nearby hospital to undergo surgery.

Eitan Biran's grandfather accused of abducting him

Shortly after he recovered, his grandfather, Shmulik Peleg, visited Biran in Italy and drove him across the border into Switzerland before they flew to Israel on a private jet.

Days later, Biran's aunt, who serves as his guardian in Italy, filed a complaint about the abduction of her nephew. However, Peleg insisted that Biran's parents wanted him to grow up in Israel.

The Court of Tel Aviv ruled that the 6-year-old boy should be with his aunt despite the grandfather's claims that keeping Biran in Israel is in his best interests.

Tel Aviv court sides with Eitan Biran's aunt, orders family to reconcile

According to the court, Biran should stay in Italy because this has been his home since he was two months old. They also said that the grandfather's actions were unlawful and violated Biran's aunt's custodial rights. Peleg was also ordered to pay $21 835 in court expenses.

Judge Iris Ilotovich-Segal urged Peleg and Biran's aunt to mend their differences for the young boy's sake.

"At the stage, we are at, it is of paramount importance to focus on the minor's medical and emotional condition and give him the support, care, and embrace he needs due to the tragedy that befell him and his family. Hope has not yet been lost in mending the rupture of the families, which was torn apart all at once in the shadow of the tragedy," Ilotovich-Segal said via the Times of Israel.

Cable car accident in Italy killed 14 people

In May, three men were arrested on manslaughter charges over northern Italy's fatal cable car accident. At the time, Carabiniere Lieutenant Colonel Alberto Cicognani confirmed that the three men admitted to what happened.

Prior to the accident, the three men revealed that the emergency brakes of the cable car were already malfunctioning. Since the brakes weren't working properly, it sometimes activates when it shouldn't, and it also stops the car while passengers are on board.

Two months after the tragic incident, Italy's public broadcaster Rai released footage of the cable car crashing to the ground. The clip shows the car nearing its final stop before it suddenly reared up and sped back down the mountain before crashing to the ground. Those that saw the clip slammed Rai TV for releasing the footage due to its inappropriate nature.

Prosecutor Olimpia Bossi confirmed that the families of those that died in the cable car crash were not informed that the footage would be released on television. Following the incident, the Italian Data Protection Authority urged media entities and individuals to stop sharing the clips out of respect to the victims' families, according to the BBC.