A 22-year-old man went out with friends on the night of the 9th and was involved in an assault at a nightclub in s’Arenal, Palma. In the early hours, a group of individuals waited outside and beat him severely. He was kicked in the head as he lay on the ground and lost consciousness. A Local Police patrol found him and mistook him for being drunk. The officers located his friends and advised them to take him to the hospital. In the urgent care area at Son Espases, doctors suspected the confusion stemmed from intoxication or drugs. He was treated for a bleeding ear and discharged. The next day he vomited blood, and his mother took him back to the hospital. Tests revealed skull fractures, brain bleeds, and a thrombosis in the left jugular vein. He was moved directly to the ICU, where he spent several days. Over the following week he improved and was discharged again the previous weekend.
The young man’s mother expressed double indignation: first, from the brutal attack by strangers and second, from the perceived lack of attention the night of the incident received when first brought to Son Espases.
Patandas in the head
The events, according to a complaint filed with the National Police, occurred around 5:30 a.m. on the 9th at a club on Pare Bartomeu Salvà Street in s’Arenal de Palma. The young man, visiting the town with several friends, became involved in an argument with another group. They pushed each other and were expelled from the venue.
Once outside, the victim was separated from his friends. He tried to escape, but the other group pursued him and delivered a brutal beating. He was knocked to the ground and struck with heavy kicks to the head. His friends could not locate him by phone initially. A Local Police patrol eventually found him lying on the pavement. When the friends arrived, he was standing but disoriented and unable to explain what had happened. He had ear bleeding.
The officers suspected intoxication and advised the friends to call an ambulance for a medical assessment. The friends themselves transported him to urgent care at Son Espases. There, in the triage area, staff assessed that he was intoxicated or under the influence and sent him home, despite the friends urging that there was more going on. The young man returned to his home with the help of his friends, who had to assist him inside as he could barely stand. He slept shortly after.
Skull fractures
The following day, around 1:30 p.m., he began vomiting large amounts of blood, prompting immediate ambulance transport back to Son Espases. There a series of tests revealed multiple brain contusions with hemorrhage, a subdural hematoma, an occipital fracture, a fracture of the petrous part of the temporal bone, and a left jugular thrombosis. He was taken straight to the ICU and remained there for several days. Neurological surgeons considered possible intervention, but the patient stabilized with the medications administered. He then moved to a general ward and, a week after the assault, was discharged to return home to continue recovery from the serious injuries.
The mother, choosing not to be identified, filed a police report the day after the incident. She expressed deep anger about the brutal attack and the initial emergency care the night of the event when her son was brought to the hospital.
She suggested that one of her son’s friends might know the attackers and noted this might not be the first time such an incident occurred involving the same group. Her son is a student and not a person prone to trouble, which makes the assault even harder to understand.
She also criticized the initial impression of intoxication by both the police officers who found him and the emergency doctors who first treated him. He was disoriented and unable to explain what happened, but witnesses insisted the state was not normal for him.
The mother decided to share these details publicly, believing that any help, witnesses, or information could assist in identifying the attackers. She also argued that the police should have documented the state in which her son was found, bleeding, disoriented, and alone. She has since filed a complaint with the medical board regarding the hospital’s first response in Son Espases.
The case highlights the importance of careful evaluation in the emergency setting, particularly when a patient presents with confusion or disorientation after a night out. It also underscores the role of bystander testimony and the need for prompt, thorough investigation when a violent incident occurs in a public venue.
Note: This rewritten summary aims to preserve the essential facts and sequence of events while presenting them in a clearer, English-language narrative that emphasizes safety, response protocols, and the impact on the victim and family.