A British woman has been killed after a driver allegedly high on drugs sent one person “flying through the air” when he mounted the pavement in a horror accident. Two other British women were injured in the incident, with one badly hurt and in a “critical” condition, according to hospital sources.
The third British holidaymaker, 23, was admitted to hospital, and yesterday she was said to be “stable and conscious”. The three young British tourists were struck by a jeep that careered onto the pavement at around 11.15am local time on Sunday, September 7, when the area was packed with tourists opposite the busy beach of Playa des Pouet.
Police have confirmed the driver of the Jeep Wrangler that knocked them over is an Irish national and is suspected of consuming laughing gas moments before the accident yesterday around 11.15am.
A waiter who witnessed the crash and had served the three women a day earlier described what happened overnight as “horrible”.
Youssef, who was one of the first to aid the women, told Periodico de Ibiza: “First we heard a loud bang, then we saw the lamppost the car had knocked down and one of the girls flying through the air before landing on the road.
“Two of them were in a very bad way, one was bleeding heavily and the third was in shock.” He and colleagues placed flowers at the scene of the tragedy.
A spokesman for San Jose Town Hall confirmed the arrest yesterday afternoon.
They said: “San Jose Local Police today arrested an Irish driver after he hit three people in the Es Pueto area, resulting in one fatality and two serious injuries.
“The detainee was accused of reckless driving, driving under the influence of drugs, manslaughter due to gross negligence and serious injury due to gross negligence, after initial investigations revealed evidence of nitrous oxide consumption moments before the accident.
“In the coming hours, data will be extracted from the vehicle’s control unit, which will provide quantitative information about the driving at the time of the incident.
“It should be noted that citizen cooperation and the large number of people and vehicles in the area have facilitated the location of witnesses and images that are assisting the investigation.
“San Jose Local Police are currently continuing to work in coordination with the Civil Guard and the emergency services.
“San Jose Town Council would also like to express its gratitude to the Sant Antonio Local Police for their swift and professional collaboration during the incident.”
The suspect, who has yet to be named, is understood to be 30 years old. It is not yet clear whether he lives on the island or was holidaying in Ibiza.
He spent the night in police custody and he is expected to be taken to court today, although police can hold him for up to 72 hours from the time of his arrest before they have to free him or hand him over to a judge for further questioning.
The British woman who died was said to be “critical” when she was rushed from the scene by ambulance to a private clinic called Nuestra Senora del Rosario Polyclinic. She died at the clinic yesterday, officials on the island said.
Last month two British holidaymakers were seriously injured after being hit by a car in Ibiza driven by a 24-year-old Spaniard.
Mum-of-three Ebony Cordingley, 26, and her mum-of-two friend Lauren Holmes, 27, were rushed to separate intensive care units following the early-hours accident on the road between the island capital and San Antonio.
A GoFundMe appeal set up by the families of the two women has raised thousands.