A multiple hit-and-run accident that occurred near midnight on Sunday in a town in Galicia, northwest Spain, has left twelve people injured, five of them seriously. The vehicle was carrying two octogenarians, Luis Falcon, better known as “Falconetti,” a historic figure in Galician smuggling, and his wife, who was driving the car.
The incident took place at 11:25 p.m. in Vilanova de Arousa, during a concert by the Paris de Noia orchestra, one of the most renowned in the country, as part of the parish festivities being held in the municipality, in front of a large audience.
The vehicle crashed into the fairground and drove around 20 meters inside, hitting the victims, some of whom were left lying under the car after it collided with the tent and became immobilized. One of the seriously injured is a 12-year-old boy who suffered abdominal bleeding and a broken hip.
After the emergency services arrived, the injured were treated, five of whom were taken to a hospital, and the area was evacuated. The causes of the incident are being investigated, as is whether the hit-and-run was accidental.
According to several witnesses, the woman, Digna Diaz Oubiña, began to make maneuvers, allegedly with the intention of leaving the place, and may have lost control of the vehicle. The elderly woman, who tested negative for alcohol and drugs, is being investigated for damages and injuries.
Luis Falcon and his wife have faced the courts several times. “Falconetti” was sentenced in the early 1990s to a 12-year prison term for trafficking hashish. The last time the couple stood trial was in 2012, when the prosecutor’s office asked for a three-year prison sentence for each of them for money laundering from drug trafficking. They were both ultimately acquitted.
Tuesday, May 30, 2023