A Belgian couple on holiday suffered various injuries yesterday after their car plunged ten metres and ended up by the water's edge in S’Illot, Alcudia. Sunbathers and swimmers were shaken by a loud crash in the small bay between Mal Pas and La Victoria.
According to eye witnesses, they first heard a car's engine revving and then the loud bang. An investigation into the accident has been launched, with the initial theory being that the driver put the vehicle in first gear instead of reverse in order to reverse out of the car park. "It came flying through the air," said one eyewitness who, along with many others, rushed to the scene while the emergency services were alerted.
On the beach at the time was a group of schoolchildren on an end-of-term day out, but no other people were injured in the accident, just a bit shaken and surprised. One of the teachers from Sant Vicenç de Paul school in Palma was one of the first to raise the lifeguards. Firefighters, local police and medical teams went to the scene and the couple were taken to hospital.
The husband had suffered a severe blow to the head and was said to have been stable, while his wife escaped with minor injuries. They were both in severe shock. The couple, both in their fifties, are staying in Pollensa and had hired a Nissan Micra to explore the area. No fuel had spilt from the car, but it remained cordoned off until it was removed yesterday afternoon.