Lorraine Williamson
Before dawn had broken over the fields of Huétor Tájar, an ordinary Sunday became a day the town will never forget. At 6.40 am, while darkness still covered the Granada countryside, an 11-year-old boy was struck by a car on the acceleration lane leading from the Vega Poniente service area onto the A-92 motorway, in the direction of Loja. Emergency teams rushed to the scene, but there was nothing they could do to save his life.
The accident happened barely three kilometres from his home. The driver, a resident of Huétor Tájar, stopped immediately and waited for the Guardia Civil to arrive. Local authorities said the driver is not under investigation for wrongdoing at this time.
Unanswered questions and early investigation
The Guardia Civil is now trying to understand why a child was walking alone, in darkness, along a motorway access road. CCTV footage from the service station has been requested to trace his final movements. Investigators are also considering whether he was heading towards Loja, as reported by Spanish media.
One detail shared by the boy’s mother and confirmed by the mayor has shaped the conversation—he often went walking early in the morning because he felt overweight and wanted to lose weight. However, authorities have not confirmed that this was the reason he was out on the morning he died. For now, it remains only a possibility.
A family between continents
The boy was born in Bolivia and arrived in Spain just a year ago to reunite with his mother and two siblings, who had moved to Huétor Tájar four years earlier in search of work. The family lives modestly and, like many in the area, works in agriculture. He attended Padre Manjón Primary School, where teachers describe him as quiet, polite, and still adapting to a new life.
The town council has offered to cover the funeral costs due to the family’s financial situation. Psychological support has been arranged for his relatives, classmates, and teachers. Mayor Fernando Delgado said the community is “heartbroken and standing beside a family living through unbearable pain.”
Shock, sorrow, and a community in mourning
The town has declared three days of official mourning. Flags outside the town hall hang at half-mast. In classrooms, pupils stood in silence to remember a boy who had shared lessons, playground games and new friendships with them only days before. Messages of condolence have filled social media, many asking how such a tragedy could happen.
Neighbours described it as incomprehensible that a child would be alone in such a dangerous place before sunrise. Some residents have raised concerns about the early working hours of agricultural families, where parents often leave for the fields before dawn, sometimes leaving children unsupervised.
A wider issue in rural Andalucia
The tragedy has reopened a difficult conversation about the lives of migrant families in rural Spain. In towns like Huétor Tájar, long working hours, low incomes, and limited access to social services mean that children may be left to navigate their day alone. Newly arrived families can face language barriers, isolation, and uncertainty about how to seek help.
Local authorities stress that this is not an isolated case. They have proposed reviewing school route safety, improving lighting near service areas, and working more closely with schools to support vulnerable or newly arrived children.
Poverty and child vulnerability in Spain
Pain with no easy explanation
As condolence candles flicker outside the church and school gates, there are no clear answers—only grief and a sense of collective failure. Whether the boy set out for exercise, to clear his mind, or just to walk, no one knows for sure. What remains is the image of a child walking alone into the dark, and a town that will not forget.
Source: El País