A bulldozer driver who crushed a grandmother to death when he reversed over her on a beach in Italy was allegedly high on cocaine at the time, it has emerged.
Lerry Gnoli, 54, said he was ‘doing works on the beach’ near Bologna in the country’s north east but has been charged with manslaughter and labour violations.
Elisa Spadvecchia, 66, who was collecting shells on the beach, was killed instantly when Gnoli allegedly ran her over with the 15-tonne machine. Her body was so horrifically mangled that ‘even the lifeguard who witnessed the scene fell ill and ended up in hospital’.
Drink and drug tests later showed that Gnoli was high on cocaine at the time he crushed the teacher, local media reported on June 30.
Gnoli was part of the team tasked with flattening the Pinarella di Cervia beach area for redevelopment when witnesses say he recklessly swerved onto the main area of the packed shore line.
The driver holds a previous conviction for homicide after killing an 83-year-old man with his car while having cocaine in his system. He was given a driving ban and has not been allowed on any roads since 2023.
Although it was said at the time he was operating the heavy equipment without the correct licence, it has since been reported that he was still allowed to use construction vehicles so long as he avoided public roads.
But onlookers have claimed that the bulldozer also had no audible reversing sounds or warning lights.
Ms Spadvecchia, a retired teacher, was on holiday with her ex-husband when he realised she hadn’t returned from her walk.
When he tracked her body down to the beach where she had been collecting shells and had decided to sunbathe on, Giovanni Sfregola said he entered an ‘ocean of pain’.
Mr Sfregola, who shares a three-month-old grandson with the victim, told local media: ‘My wife went for her walk carrying only her phone.
‘When it happened, she had nothing on her that could identify her.
“Not seeing her come back, I started calling her, but she didn’t answer. So I used ‘Find My iPhone’ to locate her phone.
‘Once I found it, I got someone to take me to the exact spot where, sadly, I found my wife.
‘They didn’t let me see her, but they told me that even the lifeguard who witnessed the scene fell ill and ended up in hospital.’
Speaking about the tragic loss at such an exciting time in their lives, the retired policeman said: ‘We were over the moon since my daughter’s child was born. He’s not even three months old yet.
‘Now, for us, it’s just an ocean of pain. Something devastating that consumes you inside because you can’t come to terms with it.’
Tributes have been pouring in from loved ones and former pupils at the Quadri high school in Vicenza where she had retired from as an English teacher.
A colleague and friend of many years, Donatella Lovison, said the news had left her ‘breathless’.
‘I couldn’t believe it, hearing her name spoken! I remember all the fruitful moments of study and research spent together. I hope she gets justice!’ she wrote
Anna Spata, who worked with Ms Spadavecchia on a project, said: ‘Very sad news. I remember Elisa with affection and esteem.
‘My thoughts go back to the Poseidon project group and to our strong friendship, to the commitment and passion that united us.’
Cinzia Zanesco said she was ‘speechless’ and knew her old colleague was ‘enjoying this phase of life’ with her new granddaughter.
She added: ‘It’s crazy that she was killed in this way, it doesn’t make sense.
‘From one day to the next, from one moment to the next your life can change and everything can disappear. We have to realise this.
‘We are preparing a letter to her husband and we will try to be close to him as much as possible as former colleagues of Elisa.’
Elena Ruffato said ‘We are dismayed – she spreads her arms – we are speechless in the face of a tragedy.
‘She was a colleague full of vitality, she was very good with IT.
‘She had retired before Covid, she would have been very useful to us when technology held up a shack that was leaking from all sides.
‘We will try to be close to her husband in this terrible moment. You can’t die like this, I hope he gets justice.’
Another former colleague, Nico Pigato, said she was ‘cheerful person’ and ‘well-liked by everyone’.
‘She was one of the first to introduce the use of IT at school and her end-of-year sweets were legendary,’ he added.
Gnoli’s lawyer, Vittoria Manes’ said his client is ‘terribly sorry’ and that it is a ‘huge tragedy’.
He added: ‘He can’t understand how it could have happened and sends his condolences to the woman’s family.’
Since the tragedy took place on a beach, Gnoli can’t be charged with road homicide despite driving a vehicle – a charge which could lead to an arrest.
The mayor of Ms Spadavecchia’s hometown just outside Vicenza, Carmela Maresco said the ‘town is stunned by this terrible news’.