Police and emergency personnel dealing with a road traffic accident on Water Street near the Liver Building in Liverpool after a car collided with pedestrians during the Premier League winners parade. Alamy Stock Photo
merseyside
27 people hospitalised after car struck pedestrians at Liverpool Premier League victory parade
Thousands of fans lined the streets of the city throughout the day to celebrate the football team winning the title.
EMERGENCY SERVICES have said that 27 people have been hospitalised after a car drove into a crowd of people in Liverpool city centre during Liverpool FC’s league victory parade.
Thousands of fans lined the streets of the city throughout the day to celebrate the football club winning the Premier League title.
Emergency services were alerted to the incident at around 6pm “following reports that a car had been in collision with a number of pedestrians on Water Street”.
Police said the car was stopped at the scene, and a 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area was detained.
At a press conference this evening, Merseyside Police Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims said they believe the arrested man was the driver of the vehicle.
She said that “a number of people” were injured in the incident and were taken to hospital.
“In addition, a large number of people of all ages were treated at the scene, but did not require hospital treatment,” she said.
“We believe this to be an isolated incident, and we are not currently looking for anyone else in relation to it.
“The incident is not being treated as terrorism.”
Sims said that extensive inquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances leading up to the collision, and it is vital that people do not speculate or spread misinformation on social media.
She thanked the emergency services and members of the public “who came to the assistance of the injured following this evening’s shocking incident”.
A spokesperson for the North West Ambulance Service said their priority "is to ensure people receive the medical help they need as quickly as possible". Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Dave Kitchin of the North West Ambulance Service said that 20 people were treated at the scene for minor injuries and did not require hospital treatment.
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He said 27 people were taken to hospital by ambulance. Of those, two have sustained serious injuries.
Footage showed police cordons in place around the heavily littered road, with a large police presence, ambulances and a fire engine also at the scene.
Images captured someone being taken away on a stretcher and a man walking with his arm around a police officer for support.
A large blue tent has been erected in Water Street with two fire engines parked in front.
‘Appalling’
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has described the scenes as “appalling” and said his thoughts were with all those injured or affected.
“I want to thank the police and emergency services for their swift and ongoing response to this shocking incident,” he said.
“I’m being kept updated on developments and ask that we give the police the space they need to investigate.”
Shortly before 9.30pm, the North West Ambulance Service said it had cleared the scene following the incident.
A spokesman for Liverpool City Council said they were liaising with Merseyside Police regarding the incident.
A tent is erected by police with a road traffic accident on Water Street near the Liver Building. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
NHS University Hospitals Liverpool Group urged members of the public to refrain from calling to ask about loved ones after the Liverpool victory parade incident.
“Following the incident in Liverpool city centre this evening, we know that many people are concerned about loved ones,” the trust said in a statement.
“Next of kin will be contacted, so please help us to manage the incident as best we can by refraining from calling our switchboard.”
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he was “saddened and shocked by the scenes at the Liverpool trophy parade. My thoughts and prayers to all those injured or impacted, and the emergency crews responding tonight.”
Tánaiste Simon Harris said that officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs were keeping him up to date on the incident.
“Our thoughts are with the people of Liverpool this evening,” he said in a post to X.
This was supposed to be a night of celebration for this city and Liverpool fans. Instead we are witnessing some devastating scenes unfold.
In a statement posted on social media, Liverpool FC said: “We are in direct contact with Merseyside Police regarding the incident on Water Street which happened towards the end of the trophy parade earlier this evening.
Police and emergency personnel following the incident. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
“Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected by this serious incident.
“We will continue to offer our full support to the emergency services and local authorities who are dealing with this incident.”
Eyewitness accounts
Harry Rashid, 48, from Solihull, described the car as a grey people carrier travelling south down the street towards the Strand.
Footage of the incident, which was circulating online, appeared to show the car speed up as it veered into pedestrians on both sides of the street, passing a Hooters restaurant at one point, with people knocked to the floor off the windshield, falling to the ground and darting out of the way to avoid harm.
“It was extremely fast,” Rashid said. “Initially, we just heard the pop, pop, pop of people just being knocked off the bonnet of a car.”
He described how crowds began trying to smash the car windows, causing the driver to stall for about 10 seconds, before putting his foot down again and hitting more people.
“It was horrible,” the witness said. “And you could hear the bumps as he was going over the people.
I saw people lying on the ground, people unconscious. It was horrendous. So horrendous.
Another witness, Mike Maddra, said he saw the car mount the pavement and described the vehicle being chased by a group of men, telling BBC News how they tried to bang its side and launch objects at it.
“The back of the rear windshield had been completely smashed in, but it just had no intention of stopping,” he said.
He also described how police officers exited a “squad” of armed police vehicles with rifles and medical packs and began running to the scene.
Liverpool FC held an open-top bus parade to celebrate its Premier League triumph, with fans lining the streets along the 10-mile route.
Liverpool city councillor John Hughes estimated over one million people were attending.
Written by Press Association and posted on TheJournal.ie
27 people hospitalised after car struck pedestrians at Liverpool Premier League victory parade
Updated at 23.11
EMERGENCY SERVICES have said that 27 people have been hospitalised after a car drove into a crowd of people in Liverpool city centre during Liverpool FC’s league victory parade.
Thousands of fans lined the streets of the city throughout the day to celebrate the football club winning the Premier League title.
Emergency services were alerted to the incident at around 6pm “following reports that a car had been in collision with a number of pedestrians on Water Street”.
Police said the car was stopped at the scene, and a 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area was detained.
At a press conference this evening, Merseyside Police Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims said they believe the arrested man was the driver of the vehicle.
She said that “a number of people” were injured in the incident and were taken to hospital.
“In addition, a large number of people of all ages were treated at the scene, but did not require hospital treatment,” she said.
“We believe this to be an isolated incident, and we are not currently looking for anyone else in relation to it.
“The incident is not being treated as terrorism.”
Sims said that extensive inquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances leading up to the collision, and it is vital that people do not speculate or spread misinformation on social media.
She thanked the emergency services and members of the public “who came to the assistance of the injured following this evening’s shocking incident”.
Dave Kitchin of the North West Ambulance Service said that 20 people were treated at the scene for minor injuries and did not require hospital treatment.
He said 27 people were taken to hospital by ambulance. Of those, two have sustained serious injuries.
Footage showed police cordons in place around the heavily littered road, with a large police presence, ambulances and a fire engine also at the scene.
Images captured someone being taken away on a stretcher and a man walking with his arm around a police officer for support.
A large blue tent has been erected in Water Street with two fire engines parked in front.
‘Appalling’
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has described the scenes as “appalling” and said his thoughts were with all those injured or affected.
“I want to thank the police and emergency services for their swift and ongoing response to this shocking incident,” he said.
“I’m being kept updated on developments and ask that we give the police the space they need to investigate.”
Shortly before 9.30pm, the North West Ambulance Service said it had cleared the scene following the incident.
A spokesman for Liverpool City Council said they were liaising with Merseyside Police regarding the incident.
NHS University Hospitals Liverpool Group urged members of the public to refrain from calling to ask about loved ones after the Liverpool victory parade incident.
“Following the incident in Liverpool city centre this evening, we know that many people are concerned about loved ones,” the trust said in a statement.
“Next of kin will be contacted, so please help us to manage the incident as best we can by refraining from calling our switchboard.”
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he was “saddened and shocked by the scenes at the Liverpool trophy parade. My thoughts and prayers to all those injured or impacted, and the emergency crews responding tonight.”
Tánaiste Simon Harris said that officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs were keeping him up to date on the incident.
“Our thoughts are with the people of Liverpool this evening,” he said in a post to X.
In a statement posted on social media, Liverpool FC said: “We are in direct contact with Merseyside Police regarding the incident on Water Street which happened towards the end of the trophy parade earlier this evening.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected by this serious incident.
“We will continue to offer our full support to the emergency services and local authorities who are dealing with this incident.”
Eyewitness accounts
Harry Rashid, 48, from Solihull, described the car as a grey people carrier travelling south down the street towards the Strand.
Footage of the incident, which was circulating online, appeared to show the car speed up as it veered into pedestrians on both sides of the street, passing a Hooters restaurant at one point, with people knocked to the floor off the windshield, falling to the ground and darting out of the way to avoid harm.
“It was extremely fast,” Rashid said. “Initially, we just heard the pop, pop, pop of people just being knocked off the bonnet of a car.”
He described how crowds began trying to smash the car windows, causing the driver to stall for about 10 seconds, before putting his foot down again and hitting more people.
“It was horrible,” the witness said. “And you could hear the bumps as he was going over the people.
Another witness, Mike Maddra, said he saw the car mount the pavement and described the vehicle being chased by a group of men, telling BBC News how they tried to bang its side and launch objects at it.
“The back of the rear windshield had been completely smashed in, but it just had no intention of stopping,” he said.
He also described how police officers exited a “squad” of armed police vehicles with rifles and medical packs and began running to the scene.
Liverpool FC held an open-top bus parade to celebrate its Premier League triumph, with fans lining the streets along the 10-mile route.
Liverpool city councillor John Hughes estimated over one million people were attending.
Written by Press Association and posted on TheJournal.ie
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