In front of the bathers Italian vacationer run over and killed by beach bulldozer

On the Italian Adriatic coast, a 66-year-old vacationer from the province of Vicenza was fatally hit by a bulldozer while walking on the beach - the public prosecutor's office opened an investigation into negligent homicide.

Keystone-SDA

25.05.2025, 19:35

SDA

The accident happened in front of several bathers on Saturday morning on the beach at Pinarella di Cervia in the Emilia-Romagna region, around an hour north of Rimini.

According to the Italian news agency Ansa, the investigation is focusing on the question of why the vehicle was in use at the weekend and on the beach in the first place. According to media reports, the woman was at the water's edge when the bulldozer reversed and ran over her. The driver is said to have got out quickly and - in shock - called for help. The emergency services were alerted and could only determine that the Italian woman had died.

According to Ansa, the 66-year-old, a teacher, was on vacation with her husband on the Riviera. The driver of the bulldozer is said to be a 54-year-old Italian man who has been convicted of manslaughter by negligence in road traffic in the past.

Vehicle illegally on the beach?

Immediately after the incident, it was reported that the bulldozer was being used to make the beach pretty for the season. The local lifeguard cooperative refuted this claim, saying that the bulldozer had not been working on their behalf on Saturday; the preparatory work had already been completed weeks ago.

The mayor of Cervia explained on Facebook that the vehicle had neither been licensed nor had there been a corresponding permit for use on the beach. Its presence on the beach was therefore unauthorized and illegal.