14 March 2024 , 09:12
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The paternal grandparents of a baby killed in a horror crash in Lanzarote have travelled to the island as a British woman is due to appear in court over the tragedy.
The four-month-old, who has not been named, died after a Ford Fiesta driven by a 23-year-old woman mounted the kerb in Playa Blanca and hit seven people from two families. The tot's parents and grandparent's on the mother's side were all injured, with the father said to be in a critical condition in hospital.
The driver has been named locally as 23-year-old Olivia Brown, who lives on the island. Authorities said earlier this week that she was investigated for suspected driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, and was tested at the scene.
Yesterday afternoon more relatives of the dead baby arrived and went straight to Doctor Molina Orosa Hospital in the island capital Arrecife, where the four injured Brits remain. A well-placed source said: “The father and maternal grandmother remain in intensive care but will both pull through. Their lives are not in danger.
“The other two British nationals, the baby’s mum and maternal grandfather, are also still in hospital but are on a ward. They were all aware the little girl, who was four-and-a-half months old, had died from the first moment despite their injuries and they’re obviously absolutely devastated.”
Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him
The driver has been named as Olivia Brown, 23
She is due to appear in court in Arrecife today (Thursday)Another source said: “The baby’s paternal grandparents arrived in Lanzarote yesterday afternoon and headed straight to the hospital.” Authorities have not yet confirmed whether the female driver, who went to school in Lanzarote after moving to the island as a child, will appear in court later today or tomorrow.
She is expected to face charges including manslaughter and wounding. Yaiza Town Hall, which covers Playa Blanca in the south of Lanzarote where the accident occurred, said in a statement afterwards she “showed signs of being under the influence of alcohol and drugs.”
A town hall spokesman subsequently said she had tested positive for both drink and drugs at the scene. Police and other officials have since declined to offer any more information about the amounts detected in the tests.
The other two people injured in Monday evening’s accident, also pedestrians, were a Swedish mother and daughter who had only just arrived in Lanzarote. The younger of the two women, a 34-year-old was airlifted to a hospital on the neighbouring island of Gran Canaria.
The driver told police at the scene the steering on her car had blocked. She hasn’t been formally arrested and remanded in custody despite the serious allegations she is facing pending her court summons.
A source close to the ongoing investigation said last night: “She has locked herself in her house and switched her phone off.
“Like the crash victims, she has also been offered professional help to assist her in dealing with the enormity of what has happened.”
The Mirror has contacted Yaiza Municipality for comment.