Witness account of car crash at Liverpool parade

(Dan Tri) - Many people attending the parade celebrating Liverpool's Premier League title on the night of May 26 experienced a terrifying night when they witnessed a car crash into dozens of people, injuring them.

Liverpool's Premier League victory parade turned tragic on the evening of May 26 after a car ploughed into pedestrians in the city centre, injuring nearly 50 people, including children.

A 53-year-old white British man believed to be the driver of the car was arrested at the scene of the collision on Water Street in the city centre, metres from the Royal Liver Building and City Hall, after roads were reopened following the main parade.

Liverpool paraded around several streets in the city to celebrate winning the 2024-25 Premier League title (Photo: Getty).

Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in Liverpool FC's parade (Photo: Getty).

Scenes of jubilation with thousands of Liverpool fans lining the streets to celebrate the club's Premier League win were quickly replaced by scenes of fear and confusion when emergency services arrived at around 6pm.

At a late night press conference, North West Ambulance Service confirmed 27 people had been taken to hospital, including two with serious injuries, including a child. A further 20 patients were treated at the scene near Water Street. A total of four children were injured.

Merseyside Police Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims said the incident was not being treated as a terrorist incident and they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the scenes were “horrifying”, while Liverpool FC offered their “heartfelt condolences and prayers” to those affected.

Police and paramedics on Water Street (Photo: PA).

Images showed police cordoning off the road, littered with debris, with a large police, ambulance and fire engine presence at the scene. Around 30 people were reportedly treated for injuries at an Italian restaurant opposite Liverpool Town Hall, close to the scene of the crash.

Les Winsper, 55, who witnessed the incident, said: "People started banging on the car windows. Then they smashed the windows which caused the driver to panic and he stepped on the accelerator. Then the car hit a person and that person flew into the air and then went through the rest of the people. I've never seen anything like it."

He added that the first victim was thrown "about 20 feet" into the air by the impact. Winsper's friend Craig Steward, 52, said there was "chaos" with "people crying, children crying, shaking".

He added: "Personally I think he accidentally hit someone, then he stepped on the accelerator. It was the worst thing I've ever seen in my life, you can see it on TV. That's why all the kids were crying when they saw it. I was shocked." Both men said the incident lasted about 20 to 30 seconds.

St John Ambulance staff were first on Water Street to treat the injured, some of whom are said to be in a critical condition. A reporter at the scene saw two “deeply distressed” volunteer paramedics being comforted by colleagues as they left the scene.

Police blocked off the rubbish-filled road, with ambulances on standby (Photo: Guardian).

Outside the police cordon, Sonny Singh, 40, said he saw an injured teenager and dozens of people running past him “crying and angry” immediately after the collision.

"People were running, screaming. I saw a boy, probably about 15, holding his leg and bleeding. There were a lot of people there," he said, adding that he heard the car hit dozens of fans. Singh, from Leicester, was celebrating with his two sons, aged nine and 13.

Matt Cole, a BBC reporter who was at the parade with his family, witnessed the incident. He told BBC News: "There was shouting ahead of us and suddenly a dark blue car drove through the crowd, it didn't stop. I grabbed my daughter who was with me and jumped out of the way.

The car passed just inches from me and my family. We then turned around and watched what was happening right behind us before leaving. The car was chased by a group of men, who tried to hit the side of the car and throw things at it. The rear windshield was completely smashed, but the car had no intention of stopping."

"There was a whole squad of armed police cars there, and people came out with rifles, a team with big first aid bags and started running towards the scene of the incident," he added. Another witness said the car reversed before "seemingly deliberately accelerating" into the crowd on Water Street.

The collision happened just after the roads were reopened following the end of the main parade (Photo: Guardian).

Harry Rashid, 48, from Solihull, was at the parade with his wife and two young daughters when he saw the crash. "It happened about 10 feet away from us. The car came up on our right, it was right next to a parked ambulance. It came up on the right and hit everyone next to us. It was travelling south on Water Street, straight towards Strand, it was travelling really fast. At first we just heard the crash of people being thrown off the bonnet," Rashid said.

Rashid described how the crowd started trying to smash the car windows: "The driver stopped for a few seconds, maybe 10 seconds. Then the crowd started rushing in and trying to smash the windows. But then he stepped on the gas and just plowed through the rest of the people, he just kept going. You could hear the impact as he ran over them. Then my daughter started screaming when she saw people lying on the ground. It was clearly intentional."

Rashid continued: "The victims were just innocent people, they were fans who came to enjoy the parade. There were hundreds and thousands of us here because this is probably the busiest place in Liverpool. We were shocked, we couldn't believe what had happened."

Medical staff help a person injured in the collision (Photo: Getty).

Emergency services arrived at the scene “within seconds,” Mr Rashid said. “The ambulance was there. There was one right next to the incident, so there was a paramedic inside. But then the emergency services started arriving within seconds, they were all trying to get to the crowd and try to calm people down, which was very difficult because there were so many people, they were constantly trying to move.

I wanted my kids to stay off the streets no matter what, even though I didn't believe there would be another attack or anything like that. We went up on the sidewalk. I saw people lying on the ground, some unconscious. It was horrible."

Natasha Rinaldi, who was watching the parade from her friend's living room, said: "People were very angry and shocked, then the police intervened. And then we heard the ambulance arrive." The North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) said the scene was cleared by about 9.30pm.

A North West Ambulance Service spokesperson said: "NWAS is attending an incident in Liverpool city centre, following reports of a road traffic collision. We are assessing the situation and working with other members of the emergency service. Our priority is to ensure people receive medical help as quickly as possible."

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/loi-ke-nhan-chung-vu-o-to-tong-doan-nguoi-trong-le-dieu-hanh-cua-liverpool-20250527142223893.htm