Torrevieja City Council has approved a €45,000 compensation payment to the family of a 15-year-old girl who suffered a serious head injury during a hammer throw event at the municipal Sports Track in April 2023.
The incident occurred when a metal ball used in the hammer throw event deviated from its path, cleared the safety net, and struck the teenager, who was outside the designated safety area. The girl was admitted to the ICU at Torrevieja Hospital in a coma due to the impact.
The compensation, approved at a council meeting last Friday, acknowledges municipal responsibility for inadequate safety measures at the facility. The original claim from the family was €90,000. Following the accident, safety netting at the athletics track was reinforced to prevent similar incidents.
Councilor Federico Alarcón confirmed that the municipality’s own technical reports supported the decision to assume liability. Under Spanish law, public administrations are required to compensate citizens for damages caused by failings in public services unless force majeure or citizen fault is involved.
Torrevieja handles numerous such liability claims, with most rejected if no clear link to municipal shortcomings is found. The city’s insurance will cover the compensation beyond the first €2,500.
