Local police clarify that the child run over in Coll d'en Rabassa was three years old

PalmA three-year-old girl died Sunday morning in Palma after being struck by a vehicle that had mounted the sidewalk in the Coll d'en Rabassa neighborhood. The girl's mother and godmother were injured in the same incident. Initially, emergency services informed the media that the girl was seven years old, but the Palma Local Police have corrected the victim's age, confirming she was only three. The accident occurred at 12:10 p.m. at the intersection of Caimari and Bailèn streets in Coll d'en Rabassa, next to the Ca Na Paulina butcher shop. The 51-year-old driver reported that he suffered a sudden illness that caused him to lose control of the car and veer onto the sidewalk, local police said Monday. He tested negative for alcohol and drugs and was taken to a hospital for further medical tests.

The doll died at the scene. Her mother was seriously injured and taken to Son Espases Hospital, while the godmother suffered a broken collarbone and was transported by ambulance to the Juaneda Clinic in Palma. Emergency medical personnel (SAMU 061), along with the Palma Local Police and the National Police, were dispatched to the scene. A team of psychologists from the 112 emergency service was also activated to provide support to the victims' families.

Vision Zero

The pedestrian association Vianants Mallorca has called on Palma City Council to implement an urban model that prevents traffic accidents following the death of the doll struck by a vehicle in Coll d'en Rabassa. Specifically, the citizens' organization has urged the implementation of the Vision Zero strategy, which originated in Sweden in the 1990s and has been implemented in several municipalities in Spain and the rest of Europe. This strategy is based on the principle that "no death or serious injury is acceptable." While acknowledging that human error is "inevitable," this approach emphasizes that urban and road design must ensure that such errors do not result in fatalities. Therefore, the pedestrian rights association, in a statement, has asked the City Council to "assume its responsibility and act immediately to guarantee that all streets in the city are safe for walking." The cases in which vehicles end up mounting sidewalks, they lamented, are frequent and reflect "an urban model that puts people's lives at risk." Peatones Mallorca (Pedestrians Mallorca) asserted that straight streets with wide lanes are "much more lethal" because they allow drivers to accelerate "almost without realizing it."

"Street design is crucial, and therefore, urgent measures must be taken to ensure that speeding is not an option," they emphasized. The association recalled that this is the second minor killed after being hit by a car in Mallorca this year, following the death of a nine-year-old boy in Manacor while crossing the street with his sister. "People's lives must always take precedence over traffic flow and the convenience of private vehicles, and to make this possible, action is needed from the authorities. No mayor can afford excuses for inaction or wait for the next tragedy," they concluded. The fatal accident occurred at approximately 12:10 p.m. on Sunday, when a car traveling at the intersection of Caimari and Bailén streets veered to the left, mounting the sidewalk where three pedestrians were standing. As a result of the impact, the child died, while her mother and grandmother suffered injuries of varying severity.