Two drivers have been arrested following separate fatal road traffic accidents in Alicante and El Campello. Both individuals, aged 46, tested positive for alcohol and drugs, leading to charges of culpable homicide. One driver was remanded in provisional prison on Saturday, 4th July, while the second appeared before the court on Monday, 6th July, with prosecutors also requesting his detention.
The first fatal collision occurred on Friday afternoon on the A-70 ring road in Alicante. A 28-year-old man lost his life after being struck by a vehicle. He had been involved in a minor rear-end collision at kilometre 13 heading towards Valencia, near Villafranqueza in Alicante, and had stepped out of his car to inspect the damage and signpost the scene.
A car driven by a 46-year-old Spanish national then hit the young man. Subsequent tests revealed the driver was positive for amphetamines and had an alcohol level of 0.93, which is more than three times the legal limit. An investigation by the Guardia Civil traffic division indicated that at least one other vehicle had successfully swerved to avoid the young man before the fatal impact occurred. The Guardia Civil arrested the motorist for serious culpable homicide and offences against road safety. On Saturday, a magistrate in Alicante ordered him to be held in provisional prison.
The following day, a 50-year-old motorcyclist died in another collision on the N-332 road at kilometre 22, in the La Coveta Fumà area within the municipality of El Campello. A car collided head-on with the motorcycle, killing the rider.
Patrols from the El Campello Local Police and the Guardia Civil traffic division attended the scene. The 46-year-old car driver sustained injuries and was arrested after testing positive for cannabis and cocaine, as well as recording an alcohol level of 0.30. According to the Emergency Coordination Centre (CICU), the driver and a 52-year-old woman, who was a passenger on the motorcycle, were taken by ambulance to the Sant Joan d’Alacant University Hospital. The driver did not have serious injuries and was brought before the Alicante court on Monday, where prosecutors have requested his provisional imprisonment.
These incidents come amid an increase in driving under the influence at the start of the summer season. On 18th June, another driving incident occurred when an intoxicated motorist fled the scene after hitting a 20-year-old woman riding a driving school motorcycle, leaving her with multiple injuries that required an evacuation by medical helicopter.
