Horror struck the CV-905 on Friday evening when a 22-year-old man lost his life in a freak accident: a towering palm tree, weakened by the deadly red palm weevil, toppled onto his car, crushing the vehicle’s front as he drove along the road.
The catastrophic incident occurred around 5:10 p.m. on the stretch between the Carrefour roundabout and La Hoya, near the local vehicle (ITV) inspection station. Emergency services rushed to the scene, including Torrevieja firefighters, the Civil Guard Traffic Unit, Local Police, and a SAMU ambulance, but tragically, the young driver could not be saved. It is understood that he was a Spanish national and resident of Torrevieja.
Eyewitnesses said the car hadn’t even reached the tree when the massive crown collapsed, dragging the vehicle across the road and stopping only by the central reservation. The accident forced the closure of both lanes out of the city, snarling traffic on this vital route used by over 30,000 drivers daily.
Authorities confirmed that the tree was riddled with the invasive red palm weevil, a pest notorious for silently weakening palms from the inside. While fronds often fall when the pest is visible, some infestations—like this fatal one—attack the trunk directly, leaving the danger hidden until disaster strikes. Moderate winds that day may have tipped the already fragile tree over, according to sources at the Torrevieja City Council and the Provincial Fire Consortium.
The red palm weevil has been wreaking havoc across the Vega Baja region since its arrival in 2008, decimating thousands of palm trees, including the prized Canariensis species. It has caused severe damage even in UNESCO-protected palm groves, such as those in Elche and Orihuela, Europe’s second-largest palm sanctuary.
The tragic incident has reignited concerns over palm tree maintenance on regional highways. While the CV-905 falls under regional jurisdiction, Torrevieja City Council manages the landscaping along the central reservation up to the municipal boundary.
This shocking death serves as a chilling reminder of nature’s quiet menace—and how even a seemingly serene palm can turn deadly in just an instant.
