Australian nurse dies while on holiday in Italy and saves seven lives with organ donation
Chani Knopf, a 32-year-old registered nurse from Terrigal on the NSW Central Coast, has died after being struck by a car while crossing a pedestrian crossing in Montagnana, northern Italy, on 30 August. She had been in the Padua region to attend a friend's wedding and had extended her stay with a group of friends when the collision occurred; she was airlifted to hospital and placed in an induced coma before dying on 3 September, with her parents by her side after rushing from Australia to reach her.
Ms Knopf, who had worked at Gosford Hospital since 2021, was an organ donor, and her donation gave seven young Italians a second chance at life, something her family has said brings them comfort given her career caring for others. Friends travelling with her performed first aid at the scene and stayed by her hospital bed until her parents arrived, and she has since been remembered by loved ones, including her best friend of 16 years, Melissa Wellman, as generous and full of joy. An online fundraiser to support her family has raised more than $55,000, and Italian police are continuing to investigate the crash, with Ms Knopf's parents saying they do not blame the driver, who stopped to help.
- Australian nurse, 32, dies after being hit by car in Italy
- Her organ donation saved seven young Italians' lives
- Fundraiser for her family has topped $55,000
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Chani Knopf was a 32-year-old registered nurse from the New South Wales Central Coast in Australia, who had worked at Gosford Hospital since 2021. She was in northern Italy's Padua region for a friend's wedding and had stayed on afterwards with a group of friends when she was hit by a car while crossing the road in the town of Montagnana on 30 August.
She was airlifted to hospital and placed in an induced coma, and her parents travelled from Australia to be with her before she died on 3 September. Because she was a registered organ donor, her organs were used to help seven young Italians, a detail that has become central to how her family and friends have chosen to remember her.
The case has drawn attention both for the circumstances of an Australian tourist's sudden death abroad and for the wider reach of her organ donation, with tributes from friends, a fundraiser for her family, and an ongoing Italian police investigation into the collision all forming part of the story.