Ben Pawlowski
A BRITISH woman has died and two others seriously injured in Ibiza after an Irish driver allegedly high on drugs mounted the pavement in his 4×4 vehicle.
The unnamed 23-year-old female was walking along a footpath with two friends when the Jeep Wrangler left the road and mowed the trio down.
She was rushed to the Nuestra Senora del Rosario Polyclinic after the incident, which occurred at 11.15am on Sunday near Playa es Pouet beach in San Jose, a municipality on the popular party island.
However, the young victim succumbed to her injuries, despite the best efforts of medical personnel at the private hospital.
A spokesperson for the hospital today said: “With regards to the accident yesterday near San Antonio, two of the women injured were taken to the Nuestra Senora del Rosario Polyclinic. Both British.
“One of them, aged 23, died yesterday due to the severity of her injuries.
“The other, also aged 23, is in intensive care at the moment.
“She has multiple trauma injuries, closed chest trauma, closed abdominal trauma with injuries to her spleen and kidney and a serious pelvic injury.
“She is in a critical condition.”
An Irish suspect, understood to be aged 30, is set to appear in court today after being arrested on suspicion of reckless driving, manslaughter due to gross negligence, serious injury due to gross negligence and driving under the influence of drugs.
The driver failed a drugs test at the scene, with police believing he consumed nitrous oxide, known popularly as ‘laughing gas’, moments before the accident.
A spokesperson for San Jose town hall 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 Guardia Civil and the emergency services.
“San Jose town council would also like to express its gratitude to the San Antonio local police for their swift and professional collaboration during the incident.”
It is believed the three women were holidaying on the island at the time of the incident.
READ MORE: British friends named after they are seriously injured when a car struck them on Ibiza road
It is unknown whether the Irish driver arrested in relation to the accident was a holidaymaker or a local resident.
Youssef, a restaurant worker who witnessed the crash, told local newspaper 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.”
Last month, two female British holidaymakers were seriously injured when a car struck them in the early hours of the morning.
Ebony Cordingley, 26, and Lauren Homes, 27, both from Bradford, were crossing a three-lane highway on the EI-600 road connecting Ibiza Town and San Antonio when they were struck by a Toyota Corolla.
The male driver, 24, carried out a breathalyser test which was negative.
Mother-of-three Ebony suffered a bleed on the brain as well as multiple fractures.
Lauren, who has two children, broke her legs, arms and ribs in the accident, according to friends.
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