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A car struck a crowd of Newcastle Knights supporters in Wallsend on Saturday morning, injuring nine people and forcing the team bus to divert. The driver was arrested at the scene.
Nine people have been injured, including children, after a car hit a crowd of Newcastle Knights supporters in Wallsend on Saturday morning, police say. One person is in a critical condition, while another is critical but stable.
All nine injured people have been taken to John Hunter Hospital. NSW Ambulance is treating the patients, and the conditions of the others were not immediately known. Emergency services were called to Newcastle Link Road at the Transfield Drive roundabout about 9.30am on Saturday. Police said the driver struck multiple people in a crowd before being arrested at the scene.
Knights Fans Gather in Wallsend
Fans had gathered along roads in Wallsend to farewell the Knights team bus as it travelled to Sydney for the NRL grand final against the Roosters. The incident happened as supporters waited for the coach to pass. Newcastle fan Dylan Prior told ABC News he arrived about 8.30am with his two young daughters and his mother. He expected the Knights coach to go by around 10am and said the mood was upbeat, with everyone cheering and beeping.
Mr Prior said a BMW came around the corner and appeared to be revving a bit before it ran into a group of people. He said recent rain played a part in the incident. I saw some young kids go flying, and people running to help the victims, Mr Prior said. Everyone was yelling and hysterical, yelling at the driver.
They were screaming for help. Mr Prior said there was only one police officer on site before the crash, and that officer quickly joined efforts to help victims. He said he wished more police had been around and believed the incident could have been avoided if more officers were in sight. Newcastle Mayor Gavin Morris told ABC News the driver was reportedly revving his engine before the crash.
Police Respond After Crowd Crash
He described the driver as excited, a supporter and a fan who was there for the joy of the moment before losing control of the car. Police said several people were injured and were receiving treatment at the scene. Local MP Sonia Hornery posted that she had 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. The Newcastle Knights said the team bus heading to Sydney had been diverted because of the incident.
The club confirmed in an Instagram post that it had changed its route and apologised to fans who may have missed farewelling the team, saying public safety is our priority. Police appealed for fans to leave the area. Police acknowledged many loyal supporters may have missed the opportunity to see the team and show support, and asked the public to safely disperse and keep roadways clear for emergency services and traffic management.
Emergency Response Disrupts Newcastle Grand Final
Authorities thanked the community for its patience, cooperation and assistance. The NSW ambulance service was also contacted for comment. Local MP Sonia Hornery said the road was closed in both directions and urged people to avoid the area. Residents reported helicopters overhead and said the incident had blocked Newcastle Link Road, the major route to Sydney, leading to the diversion of the Knights grand final procession.
The Herald chief sports reporter Tom Decent was interviewing fans when the incident happened. He said 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 that is now not happening, Decent said. That excitement has turned to confusion and concern for their fellow fans.
It is 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, with multiple helicopters overhead and over 30 emergency responders. Emergency services, including three helicopters and multiple ambulances, responded at the scene.
The road remained closed as investigations continued. Police said the driver was arrested at the scene and the details of the incident were still emerging.
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GuardianAus:Several people injured after vehicle hits crowd at Knights grand final farewell in Newcastle 
abcnews:Live: Chaos at grand final gathering as car hits crowd, driver arrestedThis story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
Newcastle Knights Car Crash Pedestrians Injured Newcastle Link Road Emergency Services Newcastle Link Road Crash NRL Grand Final Wallsend Police Incident Sonia Hornery Wallsend Car Crash John Hunter Hospital
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