An 18-year-old P-plate driver who allegedly crashed into Newcastle Knights supporters, injuring 10 people, had previously lost his licence, court records show.
Indika Bambrick Samarasinghe’s licence was suspended in February. He appealed against the decision in April but was unsuccessful, and his licence has now been suspended again following Saturday’s crash in Newcastle.
Samarasinghe was arrested at the scene 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.
He was refused bail and is due to face court on Sunday.
Newcastle Knights supporters injured in crash
The supporters had gathered along a Newcastle street to wave off the Knights as they prepared to travel to the NRL grand final. The team bus had not yet left when the crash happened, and was later rerouted.
The most seriously injured person was a five-year-old girl, who was in a stable condition at John Hunter Hospital on Sunday morning. A 67-year-old patient was in a serious but stable condition, while four others, including a two-year-old and another five-year-old girl, were stable.
Four people had been discharged, including three men in their 20s and a 63-year-old woman. The two male passengers in the vehicle, aged 18 and 19, were not injured.
Witnesses said the BMW appeared to accelerate as it went around a roundabout before losing control on the wet road. Chris Clancy, who was struck by the front of the vehicle, said: “No-one had time to move. I thought I was going to die, it happened so fast.”
Dean Liddell said he could hear the car approaching the crowd before “all hell broke loose”. He said he saw a young girl dragged underneath the vehicle and was unable to speak for about 10 minutes after watching the scene unfold.
Some people at the scene attempted to pull the driver from the wreckage, prompting a scuffle, before police intervened. NSW Police Assistant Commissioner David Waddell said officers had to remove the three occupants because the crowd “did turn on them”.
Police are investigating reports that the P-plater had been “driving erratically” before the crash. The vehicle has been seized for forensic examination.
Footage shared on social media appeared to show the BMW travelling around the roundabout shortly before the collision, as onlookers screamed. Fans provided first aid while emergency crews responded, with injured people later transported by ambulance and helicopter.
The crash cast a shadow over a week of celebrations in Newcastle as supporters backed the Knights ahead of their grand final appearance. Players were told what had happened during the rerouted bus journey, which one person aboard described as “very sombre”.
Knights captain Kalyn Ponga said the players’ “hearts are with everyone affected” by the crash and that they were thinking of the injured, their families and the wider Newcastle community.
Former Roosters captain Brad Fittler said the incident was heartbreaking for the rugby league community. Australian Rugby League Commission executive chairman Peter V’Landys said attention was focused on the victims when asked whether the crash would affect plans for Sunday night’s match.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said it was heartbreaking that supporters waving off their team had been caught up in such a serious incident, and thanked police and ambulance crews responding to the crash.
Newcastle Lord Mayor Gavin Morris said the build-up to the grand final had been one of the city’s most joyous weeks before Saturday’s tragedy. He said passing vehicles had been revving their engines near the crowds, but acknowledged that securing the 20-kilometre route between the Knights’ home ground and the crash site would have been “almost an impossible task”.
