By Santiago Carneri
Copyright euroweeklynews
The car that ran over a mother and her 20-day-old baby in Calpe, who has tragically died, suffered a mechanical fault that is still under investigation, but caused the handbrake to fail despite being engaged.
The Guardia Civil has reviewed footage from a nearby chalet, which clearly shows the owner parking the vehicle and leaving it stationary. However, around five minutes later, the car began to move. As the street in the Empedrola II area is steeply inclined, it quickly gained speed and struck the mother, 37, and her baby, who was in a pram. Both were walking on the pavement. The incident was witnessed by the father and their other child, aged five. The family had gone for a walk in the area, where the children’s grandmother lives.
Marks on the road clearly show how the tragic accident unfolded. When the vehicle was inspected, lying overturned at the bottom of the steep street, investigators noted that the handbrake warning light was on. Pending forensic tests, expected to take around 20 days, the car’s movement is believed to have been caused by a mechanical fault that rendered the handbrake ineffective.
The mother was seriously injured and remains in the ICU at Denia hospital, with her condition described as critical. The baby sadly passed away in hospital.
