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A car struck a crowd of Newcastle Knights fans at Wallsend on Saturday morning, injuring 10 people including three young girls. Two victims remain critical as police investigate whether the 18-year-old P-plate driver lost control.
A car crashed into a crowd of Newcastle Knights fans at Wallsend on Saturday morning, injuring 10 people, including three young girls, before the team's NRL grand final send-off.
Two people remain in a critical condition, a five-year-old girl and a 67-year-old man, NSW Police said. The other eight injured people are in a stable condition. They are a second five-year-old girl, a two-year-old girl, two women aged 31 and 63, and three men aged 24, 25 and 57. Paramedics treated the injured at the scene.
Wallsend Fans Hit by BMW
Thousands of fans had lined the streets of Wallsend, a suburb of Newcastle, to farewell the Knights team bus before its trip to Sydney for Sunday's grand final against the Sydney Roosters. People of all ages gathered on Newcastle Link Road at the Transfield Drive roundabout about 9.30am when a BMW struck the crowd. Emergency services were called immediately.
A large emergency services response involved officers from the Newcastle City Police District, Traffic and Highway Patrol Command and NSW Ambulance paramedics. Four helicopters and 15 ambulances raced to the scene, according to NSW Ambulance. The injured were prepared for transport by helicopter and road. The 18-year-old driver was arrested at the scene and taken to hospital for mandatory drug and alcohol testing.
He has not been charged. Police do not believe the incident was targeted or terror related. They are investigating whether the driver lost control of his vehicle in the moments before the collision. The car was allegedly driven by an 18-year-old on P-plates.
Police Investigate Newcastle Crash
Newcastle Mayor Gavin Morris said the driver was believed to be a Newcastle Knights fan who allegedly lost control of the vehicle. Morris told ABC television that he had spoken to authorities. He said it appears the young driver was revving the car in some form because he was excited. He was a supporter, he was a fan, Morris said.
The mayor described the incident as an absolute shock and said the information had been coming through over the last 30 to 40 minutes. A witness, Mr Prior, told ABC News he arrived at 8.30am with his two young daughters and his mother, expecting the Knights team bus around 10am. At about 9.30am he saw a BMW come around the corner, revving, before it ran into a group of people.
He saw young kids go flying and people running to help the victims. Mr Prior said there was only one police officer on site and he quickly joined the effort to help the victims. He wished more police had been around. He said the incident could have been avoided if more police were in sight.
He described the chaotic scene as people rushed to help the injured. Local MP Ms Hornery said the happy and jubilant mood among Newcastle Knights fans lining the streets quickly changed when the car ran into the crowd. She said the incident really puts a sad taste in our mouths and served as a reminder for people to stay safe even when excited about a big sporting event.
Community Rallies After Crash
The Knights are the Knights and everyone sort of gangs together in a happy way when they are playing, she said. But we need to make sure that when we are focusing on the Knights together we have to be really careful about safety. We need to be conscious of where we are and how busy our roads are, she said.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said his thoughts were with the families and friends of loved ones involved or injured in the crash. It is heartbreaking to see fans who were sending off their grand final team involved in such a terrible incident, Minns said in a statement. We have seen how this grand final has brought Newcastle together, and I hope the whole community remains united as we continue to respond, he said.
The Newcastle Knights said their thoughts were with everyone impacted by the incident, including those at the scene and their families. As this is a matter for NSW Police, the Club will not be making any further comment at this time, their statement said. Australian Rugby League Commission executive chairman Peter V'landys said he was deeply saddened by the incident and his thoughts were with the injured.
Asked if the incident would impact plans for the grand final in Sydney on Sunday night, V'landys said: We are just concerned about the victims at the moment, that is all we are focusing on. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese thanked emergency services and police for responding so quickly. My thoughts are with everyone injured or involved in the horrible incident this morning in Newcastle, Albanese said.
Rugby league brings people together, and this should have been a weekend of excitement and pride for Newcastle fans, he said. Morris, the mayor, said it had been a magical week of positivity and support and the community had come together. It was an absolute shock to hear the news this morning, he said. The information has been coming through over the last 30, 40 minutes now, so it is really upsetting.
The incident has cast a shadow over what was meant to be a celebratory send-off for the Newcastle Knights as they headed to the NRL grand final. Police investigations into the crash are ongoing and the condition of the five-year-old girl and the 67-year-old man remains critical. The community is rallying to support those affected by the tragedy.
abcnews 
theage:What we know about the crash into the Newcastle Knights crowd 
brisbanetimes:What we know about the crash into the Newcastle Knights crowdThis story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
Newcastle Knights Wallsend Crash NRL Grand Final NSW Ambulance Chris Minns Car Incident Sydney Newcastle Knights Crash Wallsend Car Incident NRL Grand Final Send-Off Newcastle Link Road NSW Ambulance Response Wallsend Car Crash NSW Police Investigation Newcastle Community
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