Mother is crushed to death in front of her children as she tried to stop rented houseboat bumping into a bridge with her bare hands during boating holiday in Italy The woman, 42, is said to have panicked when she saw the drawbridge still up She reportedly tried to block the collision but misjudged the strength of the river Questions have been raised about why the children's father did not stop the boatBy Tim Stickings For Mailonline Published: 15:06 BST, 3 May 2019 | Updated: 15:07 BST, 3 May 2019 Viewcomments A Swiss woman was crushed to death in front of her horrified children as she tried and failed to stop a boat colliding with a bridge in Italy. The 42-year-old mother panicked when she saw that the houseboat was about to hit a lowered drawbridge in Jesolo, near Venice. She reportedly tried to block the collision with her bare hands but misjudged the strength of the river and was squashed between the boat and the bridge. A firefighter who responded to the boating disaster said the children had 'seen the whole thing' before their eyes. Scene of tragedy: Emergency services attend the site of a boating holiday disaster as a 42-year-old woman was crushed to death between a boat and bridge Questions have since been raised about why the children's father, who was steering the boat, did not take more action, according to Swiss newspaper Blick. He apparently told investigators that he had tried to reverse after seeing that the drawbridge was still lowered. The manoeuvre did not work and he was unable to stop the houseboat crashing into the bridge, he said. The husband has had to have blood and urine tests as authorities investigate the cause of the tragic accident. His lawyer has since speculated whether the boat - which suffered no serious damage in the collision - might have been defective. Collision: The woman was crushed to death between this boat and this bridge in northern Italy, in front of her horrified children Town officials in Jesolo are probing the procedure for raising the drawbridge, which was meant to take five minutes. The family had rented the boat for a holiday, hoping to enjoy the views along the river Sile and the journey into the Venetian Lagoon, according to reports. A firefighter who attended the horrific scene in northern Italy said: 'The children had to watch the whole thing. 'They were crying as we arrived. The husband was in shock.' The river current was particularly strong at the time after a period of heavy rainfall, he said. Read more: Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility