18-year-old driver faces court over Newcastle Knights crash injuring fans, including child

The 18-year-old P-plate driver who ploughed into a crowd of Newcastle Knights supporters on Saturday and injured 10 people, some critically, previously had his driving licence suspended.

Court records show Indika Bambrick Samarasinghe was suspended in February and appealed against the suspension in April, but was unsuccessful.

Samarasinghe was arrested at the crash site and taken 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. His licence has again been suspended.

Samarasinghe was refused bail and will face court on Sunday.

Of the 10 people injured as they lined a Newcastle street to wave off the Knights to the NRL grand final, the most serious is a five-year-old girl who was in a serious but stable condition in John Hunter Hospital on Sunday morning.

A 67-year-old patient is also in a serious but stable condition, and four others, including a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old girl, were stable. Four of those injured were discharged on Saturday, including three men in their 20s and a 63-year-old woman.

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 car that Samarasinghe was allegedly driving has been seized to undergo forensic examination. The two male passengers in the vehicle at the time of the crash, aged 18 and 19, were both uninjured.

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 with personalised number plates 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.”

Newcastle Lord Mayor Gavin Morris said on Nine’s Today program on Sunday morning that the community had rallied behind the victims of the crash, and staff at the John Hunter Hospital had come in to work on their days off given the number of injuries.

“The community has gone through the complete and utter full gamut of emotions over the past seven days,” Morris said. “To what happen last Sunday [and] the complete and utter highs. It’s been nothing but a joyous, fun week.

“And then yesterday we had our hearts ripped out.”

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.

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.”

Be the first to know when major news happens. Sign up for breaking news alerts on email or turn on notifications in the app.

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

Remove items from your saved list to add more.