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An 18-year-old driver has been charged with nine offences after a car crashed into Knights supporters farewell the team bus, injuring 10 people including three young girls. One five-year-old girl remains in a critical but stable condition.
Newcastle has woken with a heavy heart on NRL grand final day after a car crashed into a crowd of Knights fans on Saturday morning, injuring 10 people.
The 18-year-old driver, Indika Bambrick Samarasinghe, has been charged with multiple driving offences, including dangerous driving, negligent driving occasioning bodily harm and causing bodily harm by misconduct. Police said Mr Samarasinghe's P1 provisional licence has been suspended and the vehicle has been seized before undergoing forensic examination. Two other teens in the vehicle were unharmed. Hunter New England Health confirmed one patient remained in a critical but now stable condition in hospital, and three others had been discharged.
Charges Follow Newcastle Link Road Crash
The crash injured 10 people, including a five-year-old girl who remains in a critical but stable condition, police said. The 67-year-old man initially in a critical condition is now reported to be serious but stable. Four other people, a second five-year-old girl, a two-year-old girl, a 31-year-old woman and a 48-year-old man, remain hospitalised in stable conditions. The driver was later released from hospital and taken to a police station where he was charged with nine offences.
Thousands had lined the streets to see off the Knights team bus as it left for Sydney ahead of the grand final, the club's first in 25 years. For kilometre after kilometre, Knights fans were everywhere. Families stood on nature strips. Kids wore red, white and blue jerseys and waved hand-made signs.
Car horns blared. Chairs were lined up along the road, waiting for a glimpse of the Knights coach as it made its way to Sydney with the players and the hopes of an entire city on board. After a breakfast rich with Knights legends from the 1997 and 2001 premiership-winning teams, the 2026 grand final team boarded the bus, bound for Sydney for Sunday night's clash with the Roosters.
Knights Fans Line the Grand Final Route
At 9.27am, the chant of Newcastle rang out as the coach pulled away from the curb. The throng of supporters lining the road out of town raised their flags as they awaited a glimpse of their heroes. Many never saw them. At about 9.30am, an out-of-control BMW slammed into spectators on Newcastle Link Road.
Footage posted on social media shows the car speeding around a bend and crossing lane markings before the video cuts out. The car hit 10 people, including three young girls, two aged five and one aged two. Slowly, excitement gave way to confusion. Whispers spread along the road that something horrific had happened.
Knights players were told their bus would have to be diverted as police cars and ambulances screamed through Newcastle. One Knights official aboard the bus was close to tears when contacted. Parents began explaining to their children that the Knights were not coming past after all. Some kids burst into tears.
Others found it hard to understand why. With thousands of people trying to check their phones, reception became difficult and information was scarce. Ambulance spokesperson Tim Troon said when ambulances arrived there were lots of people caring for patients and a lot of chaos. Every police car that appeared initially brought excitement with fans assuming it was part of the Knights escort.
Instead, the cars kept racing past them towards a far grimmer scene. Knights fan Jed Partridge, 29, was among the many struggling to comprehend the accident, standing in disbelief at a cricket field watching helicopters transport injured victims to hospital. We were on the side of the road, just waiting. Everyone was happy and then there was a real flurry of cop cars, ambos and rescue cars shooting past, he said.
It was eerie. Such a positive thing could quickly turn to this. It is hard to wrap your head around, especially as apparently a little girl has been involved. By the time the Knights reached Sydney, statements had been issued by NSW Premier Chris Minns and ARL Commission chairman Peter V'landys.
Hours earlier, coach Justin Holbrook had been asked how his players would remain focused amid the extraordinary attention and adulation that had engulfed them all week. He was confident they would be fine. The Knights had left home as grand final underdogs carrying the hopes of a rugby league-mad city. They arrived in Sydney carrying something far heavier.
Knights Community Reacts in Sydney
From what must be a shell-shocked team in Sydney, Knights captain Kalyn Ponga sent his love. We are thinking of you, your families and everyone in our Newcastle community, he wrote. Sending our love and support. Many Novocastrians say they have felt the hurt of yesterday's crash deeply.
It is really devastating, Newcastle man Anderson Dell said. It just goes to show one person's silly act can completely ruin something so great. Mr Dell echoed how the region felt, saying he hoped those injured had a quick recovery. One of those injured, Chris Clancy, posted on social media late yesterday saying he would be spending the grand final in hospital.
I have a broken left collarbone which requires surgery and may have a possible sprained or broken right foot, his post read. I will be at John Hunter Hospital for a couple of days but will let you all know. Knights captain Kalyn Ponga commented on the post. All the best with recovery mate.
The team and community are with yas, his comment read. In a statement, Newcastle Knights CEO Peter Parr expressed his deep concern and support for those impacted. Our thoughts and prayers are first and foremost with everyone who has been injured, their families and loved ones, and everyone who witnessed what occurred this morning, the statement read.
What was meant to be a special morning for our community, thousands of Novocastrians coming together to farewell our team and show their support ahead of the Grand Final, has understandably turned into a distressing morning.
brisbanetimes
abcnews:This story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
NRL Grand Final Newcastle Car Crash Indika Bambrick Samarasinghe Hunter New England Health
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