A British woman died and two other British holidaymakers were seriously injured after a Jeep mounted a pavement and struck them near Es Pouet Beach in Ibiza, Spanish authorities said.
San Jose municipal police said the crash occurred at about 11:15 a.m. on Sept. 7 and involved a Jeep Wrangler driven by an Irish national suspected of having consumed nitrous oxide shortly before the collision. A spokesman for San Jose Town Hall said the 30-year-old suspect was arrested at the scene and was being held on allegations that include reckless driving, driving under the influence of drugs, manslaughter by gross negligence and causing serious injury by gross negligence.
Officials said all three pedestrians were from the United Kingdom. One woman, who was rushed to the private Nuestra Señora del Rosario Polyclinic in a critical condition, died at the clinic. A second woman remained in critical condition in hospital, while the third was reported conscious and stable at the island's public Can Misses hospital.
The town hall spokesman said initial investigations found evidence of nitrous oxide consumption. Authorities said they planned to extract data from the vehicle's control unit to provide quantitative information about the vehicle's behavior at the time of the incident. The San Jose Local Police said they were working with the Civil Guard and emergency services and thanked the Sant Antoni Local Police for their collaboration.
A local restaurant worker who witnessed the crash told a regional newspaper he heard a loud noise and saw a lamppost knocked down and one of the women thrown into the road. He and colleagues placed flowers at the scene in tribute to the deceased and in support of the injured.
Police said the detained man spent the night in custody and was expected to be presented before a judge within 72 hours of his arrest, the legal limit for police detention before transfer to the courts. It was not immediately clear whether the driver was a resident of Ibiza or a visitor.
The incident prompted renewed concern about road safety for pedestrians and tourists on the island, which attracts large numbers of visitors each year. Authorities noted that cooperation from witnesses and images captured by bystanders had helped the investigation.
Separately, island health sources and reporting by local outlets recalled a similar recent crash in which two British holidaymakers were seriously injured after being struck by a car in Ibiza in August. Those victims were treated at the same hospitals currently caring for the injured women.
The case remains under investigation. Spanish authorities did not immediately release the names of the victims or the suspect pending notification of next of kin and further judicial procedures.