Notable accidents and deaths in Girona

Bicycle accidents and deaths

Tina Vilanova (Oct 2021)

On 30 October 2021, Tina Vilanova, a 35-year-old cyclist from Girona, died after being hit by a drunk driver. The accident happened around 8 a.m. on the GIV-6703 road (the climb to Els Àngels). The driver, a 24-year-old man from Vilablareix, fled the scene but was later arrested. He tested positive for alcohol with a level of 0.87 mg/l, which is above the legal alcohol limit.

Iris Martí Pujolràs (Sep 2023)

In September 2023, Iris Martí Pujolràs, a 21-year-old woman, was cycling in a bike lane in front of Girona's Official School of Languages when she was run over and killed by a driver. The driver had no licence and had ignored a “yield” sign (which is now a stop sign).

A white ghost bicycle was installed outside the Escola Oficial d'Idiomes in her memory.

Ghost bicycle outside EOI Girona

Diary entry at the memorial

This diary entry is placed at the memorial:

19-5 (T.S.) entro del moll.

Durant aquest el temps ha regnat tranquil, amb vents [poco?] clars a la tarda, ponent i llevant. Tot ha sigut abans d’entrar vaig a dormir del ser. Bon jour més, a partir de sensació que l’aigua no surt calenta i bé veïnat comenta si notícies era sensació un fet.

Al fons el mar té una resplendor. A la zona de la Pota el temps una xisca destacable de [....].

Avui els que composen la colla principal de Banyoles estem molt tristos: ahir a la tarda quan va arribar la notícia de que la companya que tocava el baix, la Iris Martí, d’una vintena anys, havia mort a [conseqüència] d’un accident de bicicleta.

5:50 Vaig al dic habitual, durant l’observació veig un banc de peixos.
5:55 Vaig drecera cap en fora. Durant l’observació veig un defecte, uns 200 m cap al sud.
6:50 Entro al moll.

Translation:

19-5 (T.S.) I enter the dock.

During this time the weather has remained calm, with [light?] winds clear in the afternoon, ponent and llevant. Everything was before going to sleep in the evening. Another good day, with the sensation that the water was not warm and the neighbors commented whether the news was a real thing.

In the distance the sea has a glow. In the area of La Pota the weather [slight detail...].

Today those of us in the main group from Banyoles are very sad: yesterday afternoon the news arrived that our companion who played bass, Iris Martí, in her early twenties, had died from a bicycle accident.

5:50 I go to the usual dyke, during the observation I see a school of fish.
5:55 I go shortcut outwards. During the observation I see a flaw, about 200 m to the south.
6:50 I enter the dock.

Murders

Fatal shooting in Girona on Sant Joan’s Eve (June 23, 2024)

Around 10:30 PM on 23 June 2024, a heated fight in Girona between two groups escalated into gunfire. Two people were killed (a 48-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman). Two others were seriously injured, including a minor. The shooting happened on Carrer Acàcia in the Font de la Pólvora neighborhood of Girona.

The shooting sparked a wave of violent reprisals across Girona and nearby towns, including arson attacks on properties linked to those involved. When relatives brought several victims to the hospital, dozens of people tried to force their way into the emergency area, assaulting police officers. The Mossos d’Esquadra riot units were deployed to secure the building.

Three months later, two men aged 23 and 26 surrendered to police in Figueres. Both are brothers-in-law of the main suspect, who remains on the run. Investigators confirmed that neither of the two arrested men fired the AK-47 used in the shooting.

Murder of Carla Gutiérrez (July 2023)

In July 2023, Carla Gutiérrez, a 26-year-old woman, was killed by her ex-partner in an apartment on Carrer Bilbao in Girona. Mossos d'Esquadra received the alert shortly after 5:15 p.m. Officers who went to the apartment found Carla’s body tied up, with signs that she had been strangled. The next day, more than 300 people gathered in Plaça del Vi at midday to condemn the killing.

Other accidents and deaths

• In September 2015, a 75-year-old French tourist climbed the steps of the Lleona statue to try to kiss the Lleona's bum, but slipped and died. Following the accident, the site was temporarily closed off by the municipal police.
• Miren Garcia Franch was a woman with leiomyosarcoma. She posted a daily diary of her life with cancer on her Instagram account at @mirenxu96. For a while, she worked at Linguea, Girona's foreign language bookshop. She passed away in January 2026, at the age of 30.

Notable accidents and deaths in other cities

• Muriel Casals was a politician who died from a traumatic brain injury after being hit by a bicycle in Barcelona.