Torremolinos hit-and-run victim's mother following driver's arrest: 'I have one son who is physically shattered and another who is psychologically devastated'

Marina was at work when she got the call that 12-year-old Jorge had been involved in a hit-and-run. Although the older brother chased after the car for a few minutes, the driver managed to get away.

The police arrested him the next day, just as he was sitting on a plane about to depart for Manchester.

"I felt absolutely horrified," Marina told SUR.

What followed: the boy's transfer to hospital, a diagnosis of a skull fracture, hours under observation, medical tests and a race against time by the police to track down the alleged perpetrator.

The child is now recovering at home, but the family fear that, if the court releases the suspect from pre-trial detention, he will flee.

That day, Marina had to work an early shift and had asked her eldest son to take his brother to school. It was 9.45am and the two boys were walking towards the school when they decided to cross the road to get to the shade.

According to the mother's account, a car came speeding along without braking, struck Jorge and fled the scene, running a red light and veering into the oncoming lane.

When the older brother couldn't catch up with the vehicle, he turned back to help the little boy, who was lying on the road. "He picked him up in his arms as if he were a baby because Jorge couldn't see a thing and was very frightened," Marina said.

The cries for help alerted locals in the area and the headmistress of the nearby school called the emergency services and tried to reassure the boys until the paramedics arrived.

Marina was at work when she began receiving several persistent calls from an unknown number. "I felt like I was going to die. I didn't know if my child was alive," she said.

In a state of shock, she ran while the medical staff prepared for the emergency transfer to the Materno Infantil hospital. When she heard her boy speaking, she felt reassured, although she could tell he was disoriented.

"He kept saying 'What's happened? My head hurts.' Half a minute later he'd ask the same thing again. He doesn't remember any of this," Marina said.

Meanwhile, his older brother blamed himself endlessly for what had happened.

"He'd tell me, in tears, that he hadn't had time to catch him, that this should have happened to him, that this was meant for him. It broke my heart to see them both like that," Marina said.

Before Jorge had his first medical tests, his brother would say to him: "Jorge, you're going to get better, look after yourself, don't leave me on my own." Ever since then, the 15-year-old has devoted himself entirely to looking after his brother and is constantly worried.

The first 24 hours in hospital they spent in uncertainty. Medical tests diagnosed Jorge with a traumatic brain injury and detected a suspicious patch, leaving open the possibility of a brain haemorrhage.

During that first day, the boy remained in the ICU under observation, very drowsy and with severe headaches.

The following day, another CT scan confirmed that the lesion had not grown and that he wouldn't need surgery. The child was out of danger and he could move to the general ward.

After responding well to the initial tests, the doctors discharged him subject to a number of conditions and strict medical follow-up.

Jorge is currently at home and has been advised to rest completely for two weeks before undergoing a further neurological examination. The child has no memory of the incident or the journey in the ambulance and only knows what happened from his parents' account.

Marina said that she now has "one son who is physically shattered and another who is psychologically devastated". The family's efforts are focused on their recovery while they try to find a solicitor to advise them.

Knowing that the alleged perpetrator is in pre-trial detention brings them some relief. They are unsure how long this would last. "We're afraid they'll let him out and he'll leave the country. At the very least, he must face up to his moral responsibility for what happened."

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