Multiple people injured after car crashes into Newcastle Knights fans
Multiple people have been injured, including children, when a car crashed into a crowd of Newcastle Knights fans who had come out to farewell the team bus on Saturday morning.
Newcastle residents said helicopters were whirring overhead, and the incident had blocked the Newcastle Link Road, the major route to Sydney.
Local MP Sonia Hornery posted that she’d just become aware of an incident involving a vehicle colliding with pedestrians on Newcastle Link Rd while Knights fans were there to cheer on the team coach.
“Emergency services are on site. Newcastle Link Road is closed in both directions. Please avoid the area. I hope everyone involved is ok,” she said.
Newcastle Knights said because of the incident, the team bus heading to Sydney for the grand final against Sydney’s Roosters had been diverted.
“We apologise to anyone who was waiting and missed the boys, but public safety is our priority,” the announcement said.
The Herald’s chief sports reporter Tom Decent, who was interviewing fans when the incident happened, says word started coming through that many people had been hit by a car and were severely injured.
“There are thousands and thousands of Knights fans on the street waiting to watch their heroes come through on the team but, but that’s now not happening,” Decent says.
“That excitement has turned to confusion and concern for their fellow fans. It’s chaos here at the moment. People have realised something very serious has happened.”
Locals reported on social media that they were stuck in traffic on the Link Road, reporting multiple helicopters overhead, and over 30 emergency responders.
More to come
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Julie Power is a senior reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.
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