Father in Spain forgets 10-year-old son at petrol station, drives off 140 km without him

An extraordinary incident took place on the evening of the last Sunday of August on the A-66 motorway near the village of Aldea del Cano in western Spain. According to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo, a car carrying the boy's father, a family friend, and the boy's seven-year-old younger brother pulled into a petrol station for a short break.

The ten-year-old got out to use the toilet and stretch his legs. But he didn't make it back in time — his father and the adult travelling with him drove off without checking that both children were back in the back seat. The younger brother, who was apparently asleep at the time, didn't notice his brother was missing either.

Petrol station staff spotted the boy

Staff at the petrol station noticed the child had been left behind and alerted the Civil Guard. The boy was physically unharmed, though understandably confused and unsure of what was happening.

Police patrols launched a search operation, tracking the car's likely route. The coordination paid off: according to the newspaper ABC, in less than two hours, at around 11 pm, the car was located on the same motorway near the town of Hervás — roughly 140 kilometres to the north. Throughout that time, the forgotten boy remained in the care of Civil Guard officers.

When police explained to the father why they had stopped him, he was utterly stunned — he had mistakenly believed his older son was asleep in the back seat next to his younger brother.

A U-turn and a race back

At the nearest exit, the father turned the car around and rushed back to the rest area near Aldea del Cano, where he was reunited with his son.

"This case shows how important it is to check that all passengers are back in the car before continuing your journey, especially when travelling with children," the Civil Guard command reminded motorists.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz