Ten people injured, P-plater charged after car crashes into Newcastle Knights fans

A five-year-old girl was left fighting for her life and nine others were injured when a teenage P-plate driver allegedly lost control of his car and careered into jubilant crowds lining a Newcastle street to wave the Knights off to the NRL grand final.

One of the injured, Chris Clancy, said the car appeared to speed up as it went through a roundabout, and then lost control on the wet road. “No-one had time to move,” he said. “I thought I was going to die, it happened so fast.”

Fans at the crash site rushed to provide first aid as emergency crews rushed to the scene and word of the collision spread through the tens of thousands of excited fans waiting for a glimpse of their team. The team’s bus, which had not yet departed when the crash occurred, was rerouted, and players were informed.

“They were shocked, it was a very sombre bus ride,” said one of those aboard. “Our fans mean everything to us. For that to happen; horrible.”

The five-year-old girl was in a critical condition in John Hunter Hospital on Saturday evening. One patient was in a serious but stable condition, and five were stable. Three had been discharged.

Police arrested the 18-year-old driver, Indika Bambrick Samarasinghe, at the crash site and took him for mandatory drug and alcohol testing. He was later charged with three counts each of dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm and causing bodily harm by misconduct in charge of a motor vehicle. He was refused police bail to face a court on Sunday.

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner David Waddell said officers were investigating reports the P-plater had been “driving erratically” before he lost control of the vehicle.

Footage posted to social media depicted the BMW careering around the roundabout moments before the crash, as shocked onlookers were heard screaming.

Onlookers expressed anger towards the occupants of the car after the crash, police said. “We had to get the three of them out of there because the crowd did turn on them,” Waddell said.

Witness Dean Liddell said he could hear the vehicle coming towards the crowd and then “all hell broke loose”.

“I watched the little girl get dragged underneath the car. Seeing the whole scene unfold, it took me 10 minutes until I could say anything to anyone,” Liddell said.

He said the crowd grabbed the driver from the wreck and a scuffle began before police intervened.

“If the copper wasn’t there the driver would have had massive injuries as well,” he said.

The accident came after a joyous week in Newcastle, where the city threw its support behind a team that has not won a premiership for 25 years. The Knights had been expected to be inspired by the joy of their supporters during the grand final, but will now also feel the weight of the tragedy when they take the field.

Newcastle Knights captain Kalyn Ponga said on social media that players “hearts are with everyone affected” by the crash. “We’re thinking of you, your families and everyone in our Newcastle community.”

Longtime league watchers say no other grand final has been played under such a shadow.

“It’s heartbreaking for the whole rugby league community, not just in Newcastle,” said Brad Fittler, a former Roosters captain and a member of the league hall of fame. “We’ve never seen anything like this ahead of a grand final and it puts everything in perspective.”

Australian Rugby League Commission executive chairman Peter V’Landys said he was deeply saddened by the crash. When asked whether it would affect plans for Sunday night’s game, he said “we’re just concerned about the victims at the moment.”

The Premier Chris Minns said it was heartbreaking to see fans who were sending off their grand final team involved in such a terrible incident.

“My thoughts are with the families and friends of loved ones who have been involved or injured in the crash. I also want to thank emergency services including police and ambulance who are responding to this tragedy”, the premier said.

“We’ve seen how this grand final has brought the Newcastle together, and I hope the whole community remains united as we continue to respond.”

Newcastle Lord Mayor Gavin Morris said that, before Saturday’s crash, the lead-up to the grand final had been one of the “most incredibly joyous weeks in our city”.

“It’s a tragedy. It’s something that we can’t take back,” Morris said.

Morris said that passing vehicles were “revving up the crowd” as they drove past thousands of Knights fans lining the roadside before the crash.

“That just should not have been occurring, but it has,” he said.

Asked whether bollards or fencing should have been installed at the roadside to protect fans, Morris said securing the 20-kilometre stretch of road between the Knight’s home ground and the crash site was “almost an impossible task”.

The injured Clancy said a police vehicle was stationed near the crash site, and responded quickly. He said the car came at the group of supporters too fast for them to jump out of the way. He was hit by the front of the vehicle.

Knights fan Jed Partridge, 29, who arrived at 8.20am to join thousands of others in waving off the team bus, was among fans who watched the celebration turn to shock. “We were on the side of the road, just waiting. Everyone was happy and then there was a real flurry of cop cars, ambos and rescue cars shooting past.”

He said word soon filtered out that there had been a serious crash. “It was eerie … such a positive thing could quickly turn to this. It’s hard to wrap your head around.”

Fans urged the Knights to press forward and do their best on Sunday night. “It will be tough for them, but do what they’ve always done and do it for the town,” said Clancy. “I believe they can win. Regardless of whether they win or lose, they’ve done the town proud.”

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