Handwritten letter sheds light on V-21 suicide crash by female kamikaze driver

The head-on collision on 15 August in the Bus-VAO lane of the V-21, in Foios (Valencia), was a suicide: the driver, a 34-year-old French citizen, drove six kilometres in the wrong direction deliberately and left a handwritten letter confessing her despair after a relationship breakup.

The head-on crash that occurred at around 13:30 on 15 August in the Bus-VAO lane of the V-21 motorway, in the municipality of Foios (Valencia), was not an accident. The investigation by the Subsector de Tráfico de la Guardia Civil de Valencia concludes that the driver of the Peugeot, a 34-year-old French citizen, drove six kilometres in the wrong direction deliberately and intentionally to take her own life.

The case was initially peine as a traffic accident due to a possible lapse in concentration at the wheel. The investigations by accident reconstruction specialists changed that hypothesis. Traffic at that time was heavy in both directions, a circumstance that, according to sources from the Guardia Civil and emergency services, multiplied the danger and could have turned the tragedy into something much bigger.

It was not a lapse. It was, according to the investigation's account, a decision made before getting into the car and left in writing.

## The handwritten letter: breakup, farewell and a hidden pregnancy

Among the victim's personal belongings appeared a handwritten letter written in her own hand. In it she confessed her despair after suffering a relationship breakup and stated that her life 'made no sense', according to legal sources. The text could be interpreted as a farewell.

The lines also contained an intimate revelation: the woman was pregnant, a secret that her family was completely unaware of. That fact had not come to light until the letter appeared.

The woman lived in France. Investigators are trying to determine why she chose precisely the Bus-VAO lane of the V-21 motorway to carry out her purpose. The Guardia Civil de Tráfico is awaiting the final results of toxicology tests, which must certify whether or not she was driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

## Six kilometres in the wrong direction in broad daylight

The technical reconstruction places the origin of the drive at the so-called mirador roundabout, on the northern access to the city of Valencia. There traffic control cameras recorded the manoeuvre clearly: the driver entered a lane in a prohibited direction and drove towards Sagunto, in the opposite direction to that of the entrance to the capital.

From that point began a six-kilometre journey that kept numerous drivers heading towards Valencia on tenterhooks and triggered a wave of calls to the 112 emergency centre. Some motorists had to make last-minute evasive manoeuvres to avoid a head-on crash.

The Peugeot even grazed the side of two cars. The occupants of both saved their lives thanks to their reflexes, according to the investigation's account. The two cars ended up crosswise on the road while their drivers waited for the Guardia Civil de Tráfico to arrive. The woman at the wheel did not stop or slow down in the face of the chaos she had just caused.

## The impact at kilometre 12 and seven damaged vehicles

The reckless driving ended at kilometre point 12 of the V-21, in Foios, with a head-on collision with a Ford Kuga that was driving correctly and whose driver suffered minor injuries.

The front of the Peugeot was compressed towards the passenger compartment and reduced to a mangled mass of metal, plastic and mechanical parts. The impact projected the chassis upwards until it perched on the concrete median barrier and left the wheels in the air. Firefighters needed heavy hydraulic tools to free the body trapped among the twisted metal.

Just seconds later, a third vehicle travelling in the Bus-VAO lane could not avoid the obstacle and collided with the Ford Kuga. The occupant of that car suffered injuries of varying severity. In total, the driving left seven vehicles damaged on the V-21 and scenes of panic among those who crossed paths with the Peugeot.

Everything points, according to the evidence gathered, to the woman turning her car into a suicide weapon. She put dozens of lives at risk before causing her own death. The case investigation remains open pending the outstanding reports.

If anyone is going through a situation like the one described in the investigation, public mental health services and the **024** suicide prevention helpline offer professional help.