American physicians attributed the death to a pulmonary embolism that developed after an exhausting intercontinental journey, Il Giornale d'Italia reported.
Tomelleri had traveled to the Northern Arizona University to attend an academic workshop. The itinerary proved grueling: he left Munich on September 28, endured a twelve-hour flight to Los Angeles, caught a connecting plane for another hour and a half, and spent several more hours driving a rental car to reach Flagstaff, Alto Adige reported.
The professor, originally from Buttapietra in the Verona area and a resident of South Tyrol, also served as a volunteer with the Alpine Rescue service, Zazoom noted.
A Career Shaped by Mountain Forests
Tomelleri joined the South Tyrolean academic community at the end of 2017, bringing expertise in forest ecology, climate change, biodiversity, and remote sensing to his work. He developed tools and methods for sustainable forest management, with a particular focus on mountain environments. His teaching portfolio included forest inventory, mountain forest management, and environmental data analysis—courses that blended rigorous data analysis with intimate knowledge of the alpine terrain.
Roberto Tognetti, the course director, remembered Tomelleri’s dedication in a remembrance published by the university in unibz magazine:
“To research he always added a strong passion for teaching.”
Tognetti also highlighted Tomelleri’s ability to transmit to students
“the curiosity and rigor with which he approached his work.”
concluding that
“he will be missed very much by all of us.”
Four Days in Intensive Care
On October 3, just days after arriving in Arizona, Tomelleri experienced sudden breathing difficulties that forced an emergency hospitalization. He spent four days in intensive care before dying on October 7. His brother Carlo told the press that American doctors attributed the death to a pulmonary embolism that struck after the long journey across the Atlantic and the subsequent transfers by air and road. The available information does not allow reconstruction of any individual predisposing factors or an independent determination of the precise role the journey played in the death.
The Hidden Danger of Long-Haul Travel
The case highlights the medical phenomenon known as traveler’s thrombosis. Remaining seated and immobile for many hours can encourage blood clots to form in the deep veins, usually in the legs. If part of a clot breaks loose and travels to the lungs, it causes a pulmonary embolism—a potentially fatal condition. The risk applies not only to air travel but also to long car, bus, or train journeys where prolonged immobility occurs.
International health guidelines cited in reports estimate that for flights exceeding four hours, roughly one venous thromboembolism event occurs per 4,656 to 6,000 person-trips. These figures refer to thrombotic events, not deaths, and vary across studies. Flight-related episodes can also manifest after arrival, particularly within the first two weeks. For most travelers, the absolute risk remains low.
Deep vein thrombosis may cause swelling, pain, warmth, or redness in one leg, though it can also produce no recognizable symptoms. A pulmonary embolism can present with sudden breathing difficulty, chest pain, rapid heartbeat, coughing up blood, dizziness, or fainting—and may appear even without prior leg symptoms. Anyone experiencing sudden respiratory distress, chest pain, or fainting should seek immediate medical assistance, even days after a trip ends.
Who Is Most at Risk
Factors that elevate the risk include previous thrombosis, recent surgery or trauma, reduced mobility, obesity, pregnancy and the postpartum period, active cancers, and the use of estrogen-containing medications. Family history and certain inherited conditions can also play a role. During prolonged travel, moving the legs and ankles frequently and walking periodically when safe can help. In a car, regular stops interrupt prolonged sitting in the same position. Travelers with prior clots or other risk factors should consult a doctor before departure. Compression stockings or preventive medication should only be used based on individual medical assessment—aspirin and anticoagulants are not remedies to take independently before a flight. Maintaining normal hydration is reasonable but does not replace movement or prescribed measures.
