Cyclist seriously injured after falling several metres on the GC-60 near Fataga

A cyclist was seriously injured on Tuesday, 7 July, after plunging several metres off the GC-60 road near Fataga, in the Gran Canaria municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana. The rider sustained a severe traumatic brain injury and had to be airlifted by medical helicopter to the Hospital Universitario Insular de Gran Canaria, according to information provided by the Canary Islands Government's Emergency and Safety Coordination Centre (CECOES) 1-1-2.

The alert and emergency response

According to the official 1-1-2 statement, the alert was received at 15:33 on Tuesday, reporting that a cyclist had fallen several metres after coming off his bike on the road. CECOES immediately activated emergency resources.

The services deployed included the Canary Islands Emergency Medical Service (SUC), with a medical helicopter and a basic life-support ambulance; firefighters; and Guardia Civil officers.

There is some discrepancy in sources regarding which fire service attended. The Canary Islands Government news portal and several media outlets refer to the "Bomberos de San Bartolomé de Tirajana", while Canarias7 reported that crews from the Bomberos del Consorcio de Emergencias de Gran Canaria were involved.

Treatment and evacuation

According to the 1-1-2 account, SUC personnel dispatched to the scene by ambulance and medical helicopter — assisted by the crew of a non-emergency patient transport vehicle that happened to be passing — assessed and treated the rider at the point where he had fallen.

Medical staff established that the cyclist had, at the time of initial assessment, sustained a severe traumatic brain injury. Firefighters assisted medical personnel and carried the rider on a stretcher to where the ambulance was positioned, from where he was transferred to the helicopter, which had landed in a nearby area.

Once stabilised, the rider was airlifted in a serious condition to the Hospital Universitario Insular de Gran Canaria.

The investigation

The Guardia Civil assisted the other emergency services during the operation and took charge of drawing up the official report to establish the circumstances of the accident. Sources consulted provided no additional information on the cyclist's identity or age, nor any specific details about how the fall occurred.

A road with a history

The GC-60 in the Fataga area runs through terrain of particular geographical complexity. Several other emergency incidents involving cyclists and motorcyclists had been recorded on the same road in the preceding months. On 24 May 2026, according to the 1-1-2, a 32-year-old motorcyclist was seriously injured after a crash on the GC-60 near Fataga and was also airlifted by medical helicopter to the Hospital Universitario Insular. On 4 April 2025, a 55-year-old cyclist who suffered a syncope on the same road was likewise evacuated to the hospital after being treated by emergency services.

Additionally, on 21 June 2026, a 50-year-old man was seriously injured with multiple trauma after falling into a ravine while cycling on the GC-550 road in the municipality of Agüimes, and was airlifted in a critical condition to the Hospital Universitario Insular de Gran Canaria.