Nine injured after car strikes Newcastle Knights supporters in Wallsend
Nine people were injured when a car hit a crowd gathered in Wallsend for a pre-grand-final farewell to the Newcastle Knights, ABC News Australia reported. Police arrested the driver at the scene. Witnesses said the vehicle was being revved before the crash, while the club expressed sympathy and left further comment to police.
Nine people were injured after a car struck a crowd of Newcastle Knights supporters in Wallsend, according to ABC News Australia. The group had gathered for a farewell to the team before the NRL grand final. Police arrested the driver at the scene, while details of the incident remained under investigation.
Dylan Prior, a Knights supporter who witnessed the crash, said he had arrived with his two young daughters and his mother. He told ABC News that the crowd had been in an upbeat mood while waiting for the team bus. Prior said a BMW came around a corner at about 9:30am, appearing to be revving, before hitting people.
He described seeing children thrown into the air and people rushing to help those injured. He also said rain had affected conditions. Newcastle Mayor Gavin Morris told ABC News that the driver was reportedly a supporter who had been revving the engine before losing control.
The supplied material does not say whether police have confirmed that account. The Newcastle Knights said they were aware of the traffic incident and expressed sympathy for those affected and their families. The club said the matter was for NSW Police and that it would not comment further.
The number of injured was confirmed as nine in the available updates. No further information about their conditions was provided.
This independently written report is based on information supplied by the named publisher. Vertrix News has not independently verified the source report.