The Guardia Civil is investigating a 65-year-old man for alleged reckless driving and three offences of causing injury through gross negligence after a serious road accident on the A-7 motorway near Tibi.
The crash happened at around 4:30pm on 3 May at kilometre point 480.800 of the A-7. Alicante Traffic Subsector’s Operations Centre received a report of a collision involving two cars, and the Traffic Accident Investigation Team was sent to the scene to determine what had happened.
Investigators found that the accident was caused when one of the vehicles entered the motorway travelling in the wrong direction and collided head-on with another car that was driving correctly.
Inside the car travelling in the correct direction were a 69-year-old woman and a 79-year-old man. The wrong-way vehicle was being driven by the 65-year-old suspect, who was accompanied by a 47-year-old woman.
The force of the impact left the occupants of both vehicles trapped inside their cars. Firefighters from the San Vicente del Raspeig consortium attended the scene to free them, while medical teams treated the injured. The 79-year-old man was airlifted by helicopter to Alicante General Hospital due to the seriousness of his injuries.
The driver believed to have caused the crash was tested for alcohol and drugs. He returned a positive result for alcohol and a negative result for narcotic substances.
The case has been referred to the Civil and Investigating Section of the Ibi Court of First Instance. The Guardia Civil has requested the precautionary withdrawal of the suspect’s driving licence. He will give a statement when his medical condition allows, as he remains in hospital.
Second Wrong-Way Incident on the A-7 Four Days Later
A similar incident occurred just four days later, at 2:06am on 7 May, also on the A-7. This time, a 60-year-old man entered the motorway in the wrong direction at kilometre point 529 in the municipality of Crevillente and drove for approximately 2.5 kilometres.
During that stretch, he was involved in a side collision with another car driven by a 56-year-old man. Both drivers escaped injury.
The driver who entered the motorway in the wrong direction also tested positive for alcohol.
Road Safety Warning
The Guardia Civil has reminded drivers to remain especially alert on high-capacity roads such as motorways and dual carriageways, where entering in the wrong direction can have extremely serious consequences.
Drivers are urged to pay close attention to road signs, particularly at access points, junctions, roundabouts and motorway slip roads. Even a brief distraction or a misinterpretation of signage can create a highly dangerous situation.
The force also warns motorists to avoid distractions at the wheel, including using a mobile phone, adjusting navigation devices or carrying out any action that reduces concentration while driving.
