THE death toll from Sunday morning's cyclist tragedy on the N-332 inter-provincial highway in Oliva (Valencia province) has now risen to three after a 23-year-old in a critical condition passed away on Thursday morning.
José Antonio Albi was the most gravely injured of the three cyclists from Jávea (Alicante province) who were rushed to hospital after a cocaine-fuelled driver nearly four times over the alcohol limit ploughed through members of a local triathlon team, killing two of them outright.
The youngster was found in cardiac arrest at the scene, and paramedics managed to restart his heart and breathing with CPR and defibrillators before he was air-lifted to Valencia's La Fe hospital.
Here, he underwent surgery to remove pressure caused by excess fluid on his brain, and was placed in deep sedation and on life support.
But the damage to his brain was too great to allow him to recover, and when medics began to withdraw sedation, he passed away just four days after the crash.
José Antonio never found out that his friends Eduardo Monfort Gasent, 28 and Venezuela-born Luis Alberto Contreras, 53, had been killed outright at the scene.
Luis Alberto's son Andrés does not yet know he has lost his father, since he remains in an induced coma in Alzira (Valencia province) hospital with severe lung damage and head injuries.
British expat Scott Gordon, 46, was critical due to blood loss and has had 23 litres of transfusions, as well as seven hours of surgery to multiple fractures in both arms and legs.
He is said to be serious but stable at Dénia (Alicante province) hospital in intensive care.
The 28-year-old woman responsible for the three deaths and their friends being injured has been remanded in custody and denied bail.
