This Monday morning, Palma Local Police, confirmed that the little girl who was tragically run down and killed on Sunday was only three years old. Following a preliminary investigation into the incident, the police had officially stated that the girl was seven years old, which was incorrect. ‘Palma Local Police deeply regret this error in the initial information and apologise to the family, the media and the public for any confusion caused, reiterating our commitment to transparency and accuracy in reporting,’ the municipal police force explained in a statement.
The confusion was due to the presence of other minors involved in the incident and also in the vicinity, as the spot where the accident occurred is usually frequented by numerous families with young children on their way to the Collerense football ground. “We witnessed it because my daughter had a football match and once we were inside the ground, we heard a deafening noise. We went outside and found the little girl. It was very hard, and we ran to the hospital next door to try to get help,” said a witness, still shaken by the experience.
In those seconds of extreme tension and after the arrival of the security forces, who decided to cordon off the area and use the protective tent to try to take control of the terrible scene that had unfolded on the pavement, the focus was on the victims, as two of them were still trapped under the vehicle. The girl died and her mother and grandmother were seriously injured.
Once the paramedics had done their work, the UVAC officers began to draw up the final report. During the first few hours, the police officers present at the scene mistakenly shared the presumed age of the victim, a circumstance that was corrected on Monday morning by the Palma Local Police, who regret having given rise to the error. Finally, it has been confirmed that the little girl was three years old, having recently celebrated her birthday.
24 hours after the tragic incident, the investigation continues and points to the driver possibly feeling unwell as the main cause. UVAC teams have been working intensively since 12:00 noon on Sunday, the time of the accident, preparing the report and taking precise measurements at the intersection of Can Caimari and Bailén streets, in front of the well-known butcher’s shop where the tragic accident occurred. For a thorough reconstruction of the events, the municipal drone unit was even activated, flying over the area to obtain data and determine the exact point where the driver lost control of the vehicle.
The driver involved, a 51-year-old man, was travelling with his wife and children near the Collerense football ground, where the victim’s family had arranged to meet to watch a match. The main hypothesis being considered by the Palma Local Police is that the man suffered an indisposition or fainted at the wheel, which prevented him from avoiding the collision. Although other possibilities have not yet been ruled out, this is the most plausible explanation based on the information available at this time. After the incident, the 061 emergency services assessed the driver, who was conscious and uninjured. The man was taken to Son Llàtzer Hospital for a thorough medical examination to confirm the indisposition he may have suffered. The driver’s breathalyser test was negative.
At the time of the accident, the girl, her mother and her grandmother were waiting on the pavement. The child, who bore the brunt of the impact, died almost instantly, despite the efforts of the paramedics. The girl’s grandmother is in the Juaneda Clinic with a broken collarbone, while the mother was taken to Son Espases, where she is in a serious condition. Given the magnitude of the tragedy, the team of psychologists from the Col·legi de Psicòlegs de les Illes Balears (COPIB) was immediately activated. These professionals travelled to the scene of the accident and then to the hospital to offer assistance to the family members, who are in a state of shock.
Provisionally, the incident has been classified as a tragic accident, with no evidence of liability or negligence on the part of the driver detected at this time. It should be noted that the man was also travelling with his own family and two minors, which highlights the distressing nature of the incident for all those present. The official accident report is expected to be delivered on Monday, which will confirm the details and circumstances of what happened.
And, in response to the accident, the Vianants Mallorca association has called on Palma City Council to promote an urban model that prevents traffic accidents. The citizens’ organisation has called for the implementation of the Vision Zero strategy, which originated in Sweden in the 1990s and has been implemented in several municipalities in Spain and the rest of Europe. It is based on the principle that ‘no death or serious injury is acceptable’.
This approach, while recognising that human error is ‘inevitable’, points out that urban and road design must ensure that this does not result in fatalities. That is why the association for the defence of pedestrians’ rights, in a statement, has called on the council to ‘take responsibility and act immediately to ensure that all the city’s streets are safe for walking’.
Cases in which vehicles end up on the pavement, they lamented, are frequent and reflect ‘an urban model that puts people’s lives at risk’. Vianants Mallorca has stated that straight streets with wide lanes are ‘much more lethal’ because they allow drivers to accelerate ‘almost without realising it’.
‘The design of the streets is crucial and therefore urgent measures must be taken to ensure that speeding is not an option,’ it stressed.
The association recalled that this is the second child to die after being hit by a car in Mallorca so far this year, after a nine-year-old boy lost his life in Manacor while crossing the street with his sister.
‘People’s lives must always take precedence over traffic flow and the convenience of private vehicles, and to make this possible, the authorities must take action. No mayor can afford to make excuses for not acting or wait for the next tragedy,’ the organisation stated.