• Former Spanish footballer Pelayo Novo has died after being hit by a train.
  • He was retired after falling from a third floor of a hotel. The accident happened in 2018. The Spanish footballer was in a wheelchair and became a tennis player.
  • Spanish football fans mourn the death of Pelayo Novo, who was hit by a train in the La Corredoria neighborhood of Oviedo on Tuesday, February 28, 2023.
  • After the number 112 Asturias received an emergency call at around 7:55 pm, employees of the (SAMU) Urgent Medical Care Service and the National Police went to the scene of the accident, where they found Novo dead.

The death of former Spanish footballer Pelayo Novo was caused by a train collision on Tuesday, February 28, 2023 in the La Corredoria neighborhood of Oviedo

He was retired after falling from a third floor of a hotel. The accident happened in 2018. The Spanish footballer was in a wheelchair.

He hung up his boots and became a wheelchair tennis player after surviving a fall from a hotel in 2018.

Spanish football fans mourn the death of Pelayo Novo.

The tragic incident took place shortly before 8 p.m. on Tuesday near the La Malata park in Asturias. Pelayo was run over by a train from Oviedo to Siero on the Renfe line.

Asturias received an emergency call around 7:55 pm, employees of the (SAMU) Urgent Medical Care Service and the National Police went to the scene of the accident, where they found Novo dead.

The former footballer, who played more than 200 matches in Spanish football clubs such as Real Oviedo, Lugo, Cluj, Córdoba, Elche and Albacete between 2012 and 2018, only married his partner, Iciar López, eight months ago.

The Real Oviedo club wrote on its Twitter account: “With a broken heart. We deeply regret the death of Pelayo Novo, captain of our Foundation. Family, friends: we are with you. Rest in Peace Pelayo,”

Albacete tweeted, “In a short time you have won the affection of an entire hobby that is now mourning your terrible loss. Family and friends, you have our full support and affection. Rest in peace Pelayo.

Did Pelayo Novo’s depression lead to a tragic death?

On March 3, 2018, Pelayo, who was 27 years old at the time, dodged death by just an inch.

Pelayo survived the fall from an internal patio of the Abba hotel in Huesca, where he was concentrated as part of the Albacete squad.

The Spanish footballer was hospitalized for 51 days at the Lozano Blesa University Clinical Hospital in Zaragoza, the largest city in the region, and underwent several surgeries.

Irreversible spinal cord injuries forced him to use crutches forever, which is why he retired from football after 208 official games and 26 goals between 2012 and 2018.

But instead of getting frustrated and giving up the sport, he became a wheelchair tennis player.

Without going further, he positioned himself as one of the most important tennis players in the Spanish national men’s ranking.

The Spanish footballer was even part of the board of directors of the Asturian Tennis Federation. In addition, he became a brand ambassador for the Real Oviedo Foundation.

However, some Spanish sources reported that after becoming a wheelchair tennis player, he was still in a major depression throughout his football career.

The cause of the incident that killed him has not yet been discovered, but fans speculate that it could be his depression that led to his tragic death.