Pictured: Kevin Daffurn, 30, was found dead by two holidaymakers on Friday
A woman whose car was hijacked by a British man later found dead in Tenerife has told police of her ‘miracle escape’ from death as she flung herself out of the passenger seat onto a busy motorway.
Police on the holiday island are studying various videos of the incident on the TF-1 when the white Mitsubishi car, stolen by 30-year-old Kevin Daffurn, was spotted weaving across the carriageway with both doors open.
His terrified passenger who escaped the ordeal rolled out onto the hard shoulder, it has been revealed, but as she tried to stand up, she collapsed in front of the oncoming traffic and was snatched from certain death by a police officer.
Although the 42-year-old escaped with cuts and bruises, she is said to be very traumatised by the experience and still in shock.
Spanish newspaper El Dia says the woman, who has not been named, comes from La Laguna in the north of Tenerife.
A full investigation is currently underway to find out exactly what happened on Thursday afternoon, the same Mr Daffurn, from Knotts, North Lanarkshire had arrived on the island for a holiday with two friends.
An autopsy and toxicology reports will be the key as they will determine whether he was acting under the influence of either alcohol or drugs or a combination of both.
Two tourists raised the alarm after spotting Kevin Daffurn’s body near a roundabout in the resort of Los Cristianos just after 6pm yesterday. Pictured above, Mr Daffurn with his fiancee
Tragedy: Spanish police say they are investing the incident after the father from Scotland was discovered dead
Kevin was found dead in a field alongside the motorway near Los Cristianos four hours later, wearing just shorts and with no shoes on his feet. It appeared that he had not suffered any sort of external injury.
El Dia says witnesses have described scenes similar to those out of a horror film which started when Kevin Daffurn reportedly spotted a car outside a shopping centre.
Although the 42-year-old woman was in the passenger seat, her husband had got out for a few seconds, leaving the ignition keys in it.
A police source said: ‘The carjacking and events that followed were crazy. It was like something out of a film.
He said: ‘The driver of the Mitsubishi had stopped outside the shopping centre and got out of the car for a moment but left the keys in the ignition.
‘The woman in the passenger seat leapt out of the vehicle fearing she was possibly being kidnapped. She is Spanish. She suffered bruises and some other injuries and was taken to hospital but fortunately she was not seriously hurt.
A police source said Mr Daffurn tried to steal a car and a motorbike, before stunning witnesses by jumping over the central reservation and fleeing the scene on foot
The bizarre series of events began just before 2pm yesterday in the south of Tenerife called San Eugenio Commercial Centre. Pictured above, a social media post believed to be from one of Mr Daffurn’s friends
‘That happened just before 2pm yesterday/on Friday outside San Eugenio Shopping Centre and the motorway incident at 2pm.
‘The tourist crashed the car, then tried to steal another car and then a motorbike and ended up running along the hard shoulder before jumping over the central reservation as traffic came to a standstill in the chaos.’
‘He could have been trying to get to his hotel but at the moment it’s not really clear.’
He added: ‘The dead man arrived in Tenerife on Thursday with two British friends. They will be formally interviewed shortly so investigators can try to piece together all his movements from the time he reached the island to the time he died.’
The horrified Spanish woman is said to have told police that Kevin drove off at speed towards the motorway where she took the decision to fling herself out in a bid to escape his erratic driving.
El Dia says the woman was in real danger of being run over by approaching cars before she was snatched to safety by the Civil Guard officer based at Playa de las Americas who risked his own safety to intervene.
She was taken to hospital and was so shocked she was unable to speak. Her main injury were cuts to her hands.
The TF-1 motorway in Tenerife near to where the 30-year-old man was found dead
Los Cristianos, Tenerife, where a 30-year-old British man who has been found dead was due to be staying
With Kevin still at the wheels of the hijacked car, several accidents were caused on the motorway before he too jumped out.
He then tried to steal a motorcycle and also jumped into another car stuck in the traffic jam but the quick-thinking driver pulled on the handbrake and ran off.
Witnesses have reported seeing Kevin jump over the motorway barriers towards the Los Cristianos/Costa Adeje area.
Two tourists later stumbled across his body in a field.
El Dia says the Spanish woman might need psychological support to overcome such an ordeal. She has been helping the police reconstruct the fateful events.
On the evening before the tragedy one of his friends is thought to have posted a bottle of popular spirit Jagermeister.
And a family member wrote on the photograph: ‘Have a great time, please come back in one piece the lot of u.’