Eighth road death in three days: a truck runs over a motorcyclist in Barcelona

BarcelonaThe Carnival weekend has been especially tragic on Catalan roads, with seven fatalities in just a few hours. But this Monday also started in dramatic fashion: a motorcyclist fell on the C-58, at the entrances to Barcelona, ​​​​and was subsequently run over by a truck and killed. That means eight deaths on the roads in three days, and there are already 30 fatalities on the country's interurban roads since it began in 2025, 9 of them motorcyclists. The data is shocking: 30% of the deaths of the year have occurred in a single weekend.

The last accident, according to the Catalan Traffic Service, took place at 10.30 am and the Mossos d'Esquadra are already investigating the fall of the motorcyclist - who was a corporal in the police force - and the subsequent accident by the truck. The accident occurred when both vehicles were heading towards Barcelona on the C-58, where four kilometres of traffic jams were generated. In the last few hours this road that links Barcelona with the Vallès Occidental has been a cursed road, with three fatal accidents, including the latest accident on Monday. Last year it was already the road with the most fatalities.

The first accident occurred in the early hours of Sunday in Vacarisses, when a car left the asphalt and crashed into a house. The driver, a 39-year-old man from Terrassa, died. Five hours later a new alert came into the emergency centre: a vehicle had collided with another that had broken down on the C-58 in Badia, with a person outside the vehicle. It was a 24-year-old girl from Sabadell, who died on the spot. In addition, another 25-year-old girl from Rubí was injured and was taken to hospital in critical condition. She also ended up dying.

According to the ARA, the car in which the victims were riding broke down in the left lane and the girls tried to get out of the car. The victims are the driver, who was the first to get out of the vehicle, and a passenger who stayed inside. Traffic sources insist on the importance of signalling a breakdown and being very careful when getting out of the vehicle.

Arrest when discharged

One of the worst accidents of the weekend was on the C-25, in Gurb. On Saturday, a few minutes before midnight, a van travelling in the wrong direction – although the C-25 is a two-lane road with a median strip – collided at kilometre point 173 with a car in which a couple expecting a baby were travelling. The woman was 36 years old and from Olost and the man was 35 and from Vic. All three died in the accident.

The van driver was taken to hospital for serious injuries and tested positive for alcohol in a blood test. According to police sources, the Mossos will probably arrest him when he is discharged as the alleged perpetrator of a crime of manslaughter due to negligence.

The director of Traffic, Ramon Lamiel, points out that in most of the recent accidents recorded, two variables play an important role: speed and alcohol. And a third worrying variable: the age of the victims, very young. On Sunday morning, a 21-year-old driver from Castellón de la Plana ended up dying after leaving the vehicle on the AP-7.

This year, half of the 30 fatal victims were younger than 35 years old. In 2024, the year ended with a 22% reduction in fatal victims compared to 2019 and an 11% decrease compared to the previous year, when victims over 55 years old predominated. That is why Trànsit is looking with concern at this increase in young victims and says it is studying measures, from improving the signage on certain roads (such as the C-58) to promoting more speed controls.

However, these measures do not only depend on Traffic, but also on the Territory department. This weekend there was a special device for Carnival, with 90 police controls. In this sense, in statements to Ràdio Estel, Lamiel has opted for a toughening of traffic sanctions.