Three dead in a head-on collision between two cars in Las Rozas caused by one driving incorrectly in the opposite direction

Three men have died and two others have been seriously and very seriously injured after a head-on collision between two cars, caused by one of the two, which was travelling incorrectly in the opposite direction. The incident took place shortly before 6.25 on Sunday at kilometre 20.700 of the A-6 motorway (Madrid-A Coruña), opposite the point where the Costco wholesale supermarket is located, in Las Rozas, northwest of the Spanish capital. A motorcyclist who was travelling in the correct direction was also injured in the collision.

The driver who caused the fatal crash was Juan Carlos Baldeón, a 27-year-old engineer, and his co-pilot was his brother Jorge Luis, a 28-year-old psychology student. Both lived in Valdemorillo, a town with 13,651 inhabitants, near Las Rozas. They had spent the night partying in the bars of Burgocentro, a shopping centre in Las Rozas, with four other friends. After hours of dancing and drinking, the brothers announced to their friends that they were going home around six in the morning, and said goodbye to the others, who stayed in a bar. Jorge Luis was affected by alcohol, but, in the eyes of his friends, Juan Carlos was fit to drive. “He had drunk very little. He was not drunk,” one of them emphasises.

The brothers climbed into Juan Carlos’ Volkswagen Taigo, an SUV he bought new less than a year ago. That’s when questions began to arise about what happened. Friends have spent Sunday trying to figure out what route Juan Carlos took and how he could have mistaken a highway exit for an entrance. They wonder if it was sleep that affected him.

Police sources indicate that it is not yet known whether the vehicle that was driving incorrectly was doing so voluntarily in kamikaze style or whether it was a mistake. The Civil Guard is investigating the events and the recording from the cameras of the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) may be key to the investigation. Initial investigations suggest that the vehicle was incorrectly entered at an exit in the municipality of Las Rozas de Madrid. What the initial analyses of the scene of the accident have determined is that the vehicle was travelling at high speed and was probably easily exceeding 120 kilometres per hour on the road, according to sources from the investigation. As a result of the impact, the two drivers of the cars have died, as well as the passenger of the vehicle that was driving correctly. The autopsy of the driver responsible for the accident will determine whether he had consumed drugs or alcohol.

The accident occurred on a straight road with three lanes in each direction and a slight slope – in the case of the homicidal driver, uphill. At the time of the accident, it was pitch black and the road was dry.

The deceased driver, who was driving correctly, was a 44-year-old national police officer, Alberto SA, who was on his way to work in the capital, at the Salamanca district police station. He was accompanied by another man with whom he shared the use of the car, a Volkswagen Passat, and who was also going to his workplace, police sources report.

The national police officer was originally from Ávila, was married and had an underage daughter. He belonged to the Operational Response Group (GOR), a group halfway between public security and riot police that intervenes in complex situations such as large events. In addition, he defended the rights of his colleagues as a representative of the Unified Police Union (SUP) at the police station. “This was not an accident,” stresses Nadia Pajarón, spokesperson for the SUP. “It is the most unfair thing that can happen to you.”

The co-pilot and brother of the perpetrator of the accident, Jorge Luis Baldeón, is in an induced coma at the Puerta de Hierro Hospital in Majadahonda after having suffered head injuries. According to a phone statement by one of his friends, who was authorised by the family to speak to the press, he is fighting for his life.

Another police officer, a Madrid municipal agent named Jesús Pedro, was also hit by the car that was driving incorrectly, thanks to the lights that shone directly on him. He was able to slow down and partially stop on the right side of the road. However, he was unable to avoid the impact, but is hospitalised in a serious condition with fractures to both ankles and a femur, according to police sources. He was also travelling on a motorbike in the correct direction and was heading to the capital where he was due to take part in the special Sunday service at the Rastro market.

This motorcyclist was also run over and sent flying, but before the impact he had time to move to the right of the road and avoid further damage, according to police sources who spoke to him before entering the operating room. He ended up falling under the guardrail, with the luck that he did not suffer any cuts or hit the posts that support them. A colleague says that he has been “born again”. The injured man belongs to the Puente de Vallecas district unit. He has undergone surgery at the Hospital Clínico in the capital.

The co-pilot of the car that was driving incorrectly was also injured and was taken to hospital by the regional emergency service, Summa-112, with a very serious prognosis. All those affected are men aged between 22 and 55.

The driver responsible for the accident, Juan Carlos Baldeón, was the son of a gardener and a cleaner. He had lived with them and his brother for almost 10 years in a large house in Valdemorillo. Juan Carlos excelled as a student and graduated as an engineer at the Polytechnic University. He was starting his career in the construction sector and was a site manager in Madrid. “He was sporty, very polite, smiling and devoted himself body and soul to his family and friends,” says the spokesman. “We want to convey our deepest condolences to the families of the other two victims. This is terrifying for everyone,” he adds in an affected voice. “I wish they had pulled over.”

The Government delegate in Madrid, Francisco Martín Aguirre, has shown his support to the families and colleagues of the two affected agents. “All my love and support to the relatives, friends and colleagues of those who died and were injured in the terrible traffic accident that took place in the early hours of today on the N-VI. A very strong hug and all our recognition to @police and @policiademadrid”, he wrote in X.

The National Police have also posted a tweet in memory of Alberto, the deceased agent. “Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of our colleague Alberto. He died today as a victim of a traffic accident when he was on his way to work at the Salamanca district police station in #Madrid #RIP”

Firefighters from the Community of Madrid attended the scene and rescued the bodies of the victims from inside the cars. The SAMER medical service and the Las Rozas Local Police also intervened. The investigation into the incident has been carried out by Court number 3 of Majadahonda.

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