Spain 112: drugged driver with substance trafficking history runs over three women in Santander city centre

Pedestrians waiting to cross at the traffic lights in front of Santander city hall at 1.15pm on Thursday witnessed a brutal scene when a 50-year-old driver under the influence of drugs lost control of the vehicle and ran over three women on the sidewalk.

"First I heard the loud crash, then some screams and I saw the car embedded next to a lamppost in the middle of a pedestrian crossing," Paco, one of the witnesses, said.

The driver reportedly has a criminal record for drug-trafficking. He tested positive for cocaine after the incident.

The injured women are 55, 73 and 82 years old. They were unable to avoid the collision. One was thrown from her vehicle by the impact, while the other two were trapped under the wheels.

The 82-year-old woman sustained a severe head injury and is currently in the ICU at the Marqués de Valdecilla hospital. The two younger women underwent tests to rule out other injuries. They are "reasonably well", sources have informed.

"Everyone there helped lift the car," witnesses said. Two Local Police officers who were in the square in front of the city hall coordinated people around them to move the vehicle. Once they managed to move it a few centimetres, they were able to free the two injured women.

"Then two people who were among the crowd appeared and offered to provide medical assistance, identifying themselves as doctors. Another person, who said she was a nurse, also offered to help," said a person present at the scene.

The driver did not sustain any injuries apart from some scratches on his leg. He joined in to help rescue the two people under the vehicle.

The police arrested the driver and he underwent a breathalyser and drug tests at the station. It was there that he tested positive for cocaine. The police, who found his criminal record, thoroughly searched the vehicle, even dismantling the trunk.

Follow-up tests at the hospital determined the extent to which substance use might have affected his driving skills. The police then provisionally released him. He is pending a court summons.

Mayor Gema Igual has stated that the investigation will now clarify the reasons for the accident.

The accident is reminiscent of another incident that occurred two years ago very near that same spot, when a 74-year-old woman drove her car into the Social Security building. For reasons unknown, the vehicle left the road and ended up blocking the entrance to the building. It broke through the doors. Fortunately, on that occasion, she did not hit anyone.