A 58-year-old British woman has died after plunging down a steep hillside whilst riding an electric mobility scooter in Benidorm.
The accident happened yesterday afternoon at about 4.15pm, reports The Mirror. It is understood another person also riding a motorised scooter was also injured when he or she tried to help rescue the woman.
Full details are yet to emerge, but other family members were said to have been present, including an eight-year-old boy. Local press is reporting that the motorised scooter, apparently rented, left the road for some reason and drove off the hillside in a location difficult to access.
The "Barranco" is very steep with huge stone boulders and firefighters rushed to the scene in the Paraje de la Cruz de Benidorm, located in the Natural Park of Serra Gelada in Benidorm. The rescue operation lasted about two hours.
Police have opened an investigation into the cause of the accident and are inspecting the motorised scooter to see if it complied with all the legal safety requirements. The news comes as Spanish police clamp down on Brits riding mobility scooters after a surge in popularity sparked by the Benidorm sitcom television show.
The character Madge, played by Sheila Reid, was always seen at the wheel of a hired runabout. Council chiefs confirmed that police had been told to intensify checks on the hire and use of the scooters, which are popular with British tourists and ex-pats along Costa Blanca.
A council spokesman said often people go too fast or use them in places where they shouldn't, generating complaints from drivers and pedestrians. Tourists in Benidorm could be fined £425 for improper use of a mobility scooter if they breach usage rules.
Only those over the age of 55 are allowed to use the scooters unless they have mobility problems.
A council spokesperson said: "A campaign has been launched to inform establishments that hire these vehicles to make sure they are complying with municipal by-laws and police officers are also keeping tabs on the people who are using them."
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