Ribera del Duero winemaker Iván Sanz and three family members killed in Palencia crash; 9-year-old daughter survives
Iván Sanz Cid, director general of Dehesa de los Canónigos winery, his wife Irene Garijo, and their two children aged 17 and 14 died Sunday when their Ford Bronco left the A-67 highway near Herrera de Pisuerga, Palencia. Their 9-year-old daughter survived and is stable after surgery.
The accident
On Sunday, July 5, at 16:20, a Ford Bronco carrying the Sanz Garijo family left the A-67 highway at kilometer 83 near Herrera de Pisuerga, Palencia, and rolled over multiple times. The family was returning from Cantabria to Valladolid. The Subdelegation of the Government in Palencia has pointed to possible driver drowsiness as the initial hypothesis. The same stretch of road saw another fatal accident on June 1 at kilometer 82.
The victims
Iván Sanz Cid was the director general of Dehesa de los Canónigos, a prominent winery in the Ribera del Duero designation of origin. His wife Irene Garijo worked for the Diputación de Valladolid. Their children Irene, 17, and Luis Álvaro, 14, also died. The couple's 9-year-old daughter was the sole survivor; she was airlifted to the University Hospital of Burgos in critical condition, underwent surgery, and is now stable but remains in serious condition.
Terrible news and tremendous pain. A great person and a great family.
Reactions
Condolences poured in from across the wine world and political spectrum. Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, president of the Junta de Castilla y León, expressed being deeply saddened and wished for the girl's recovery. Transport Minister Óscar Puente, a former Valladolid mayor, called it a terrible loss. Within the wine sector, friends and colleagues remembered Sanz as a generous and hardworking figure.
He was a great family friend, an example as a person, humble and generous, who always had the doors of his winery open. It has come as a shock not only for the family, but for the entire region.
He was a person full of life and with an incredible desire to always make his wines and his home known. Super approachable and always willing to lend a hand in whatever was needed.
Funeral arrangements
The wake began Monday at 17:00 at the Tanatorio de Las Contiendas in Valladolid. The funeral will be held on Wednesday, July 8, at 11:00 at the Cathedral of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción in Valladolid.
- Accident: Ford Bronco leaves A-67 at km 83, rolls over.
- 9-year-old girl airlifted to University Hospital of Burgos in critical condition.
- Girl undergoes surgery; reported stable within seriousness.
- Wake begins at Tanatorio de Las Contiendas, Valladolid.
- Funeral at Cathedral of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, Valladolid.
The winery
Dehesa de los Canónigos, based in Pesquera de Duero, Valladolid, is one of the oldest and most recognized wineries in Ribera del Duero. Iván Sanz ran it alongside his sister Belén, following the death of their father, founder Luis Sanz, just a year ago. The winery exports to around 20 countries and participates in social and cultural patronage projects.
