A British woman was seriously injured and another woman was killed on Sunday after a driver who investigators say had consumed nitrous oxide mounted the pavement and struck a group of pedestrians on Ibiza.
The crash occurred at about 11:15 a.m. in the Es Pueto area of the San José municipality, opposite Playa des Pouet beach, when a Jeep Wrangler left the roadway, knocked down a lamppost, smashed into a restaurant wall and then struck three women walking along the pavement, local authorities said. The vehicle came to rest a few feet from a pedestrian crossing.
A spokesperson for San José Town Hall said police had arrested an Irish man, believed to be about 30 years old, after initial investigations produced evidence of nitrous oxide consumption "moments before the accident." The driver failed a drugs test at the scene and was taken into custody on suspicion of reckless driving, driving under the influence of drugs, manslaughter due to gross negligence and causing serious injury due to gross negligence.
Three women described locally as "foreigners" were walking together when the vehicle struck them. One woman died at the scene. A 23-year-old British tourist was taken to Can Misses hospital in Ibiza and was reported to be stable and conscious. The third victim was transferred to the Nuestra Señora del Rosario Polyclinic and described by authorities as very seriously injured. Nationalities of the two other women have not been confirmed.
Mayor Vicent Roig said the incident began in San José and ended in neighbouring Sant Antoni, and that both municipalities' police forces worked together in the immediate response. The town hall spokesperson added that in the coming hours investigators would extract data from the vehicle's control unit to obtain quantitative information about the vehicle's speed and operation at the time of the incident, and that images and witness accounts were assisting the probe.
The arrested driver remains in custody while investigators continue to gather evidence. Spanish authorities routinely use on-scene tests for drugs and follow-up laboratory analyses; charges and formal court proceedings will depend on the results of those tests and the outcome of the investigation.
British consular officials were contacted for comment, San José officials said. The Spanish Guardia Civil and local police are handling the criminal investigation and coordinating forensic and witness examinations.
The crash adds to a series of high-profile road incidents that have affected holidaymakers on Ibiza this year. Last month two British women, mothers Ebony Cordingley, 26, and Lauren Holmes, 27, were seriously injured when a Toyota Corolla struck them in another collision on the island; both were taken to intensive care and subsequently remained in hospital for weeks.
Authorities urged anyone with further footage or information about Sunday’s incident to contact local police to assist the ongoing investigation.