A 23-year-old British woman died and two other British holidaymakers were seriously injured on Sunday after a Jeep mounted the pavement in the Es Pueto area of San José, near the resort town of San Antonio in Ibiza, Spanish authorities said.
The driver, an Irish national believed to be about 30 years old, was arrested at the scene and is accused of reckless driving, driving under the influence of drugs, manslaughter due to gross negligence and causing serious injury due to gross negligence, a spokesman for San José Town Hall said. Police said initial investigations found evidence of nitrous oxide consumption moments before the crash, and that data will be extracted from the vehicle's control unit to provide quantitative information about driving at the time of the incident.
Emergency services responded to the collision at about 11:15 a.m., and all three victims were taken to local hospitals, officials said. The woman who later died had been transported to the private Nuestra Señora del Rosario Polyclinic in a critical condition and succumbed to her injuries at the clinic, authorities said. A second woman remained in a critical condition at the same clinic, while the third was admitted to the island's state hospital, Can Misses, where she was described as stable and conscious.
San José local police said the large number of people and vehicles in the area aided the identification of witnesses and the collection of images that are assisting the investigation. The town hall spokesman added that the local police were working in coordination with Spain's Civil Guard and emergency services, and thanked the Sant Antoni local police for their collaboration.
A waiter identified only as Youssef told the island newspaper Periódico de Ibiza that he witnessed the aftermath and was among the first to help. "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," he said. "Two of them were in a very bad way, one was bleeding heavily and the third was in shock." He and colleagues later placed flowers at the scene.
The suspect spent the night in police custody and is expected to be presented to a judge; Spanish authorities can hold a person for up to 72 hours from the time of arrest before transferring them to a court or releasing them. It remained unclear whether the driver lives on the island or was visiting as a tourist.
The crash follows other recent serious road incidents involving tourists on Ibiza. Last month two British holidaymakers were seriously injured after being struck by a car driven by a 24-year-old Spanish man; both were treated in intensive care units, one at Nuestra Señora del Rosario Polyclinic and the other at Can Misses.
Investigators in the current case said they will continue to review vehicle data, witness statements and image evidence collected at the scene as they build their case. Local authorities did not immediately release the names of the victims or the arrested man pending notification of next of kin and further legal procedures.