Two Arena survivors caught up in the horrific incident in Liverpool have spoken out
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09:14, 27 May 2025
A cordon remains in place on Water Street, Liverpool, this morning
A cordon remains in place on Water Street, Liverpool, this morning
Manchester Arena bombing survivors were among hundreds of thousands of Liverpool FC fans at Monday's trophy parade before a car ploughed into the crowd.
Liverpool city centre was a sea of red as fans gathered to celebrate the team's Premier League success yesterday (May 26).
But jubilant scenes swiftly turned to horror as a car drove into the crowd on Water Street, while the parade was concluding.
A 53-year-old man, described by Merseyside Police as 'white British', was arrested at the scene.
Two of the fans in attendance, who survived the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, have spoken of their experience from the scene on Monday.
Twenty-two people were killed by the attack on May 22, 2017, following an Ariana Grande concert - while more than 1,000 people were injured.
A tent placed at the scene
A tent placed at the scene(Image: Peter Byrne/PA Wire)
One fan who survived the bombing eight years ago, named Frankie, was hit by the car and knocked to the floor.
"I don't want to go out again," the 24-year-old told MailOnline.
"The side of the car went into me and I fell to the floor. It's all a blur.
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"I've got cuts and bruises and I'll be fine but there's loads who have got more severe injuries."
Robby Potter, from Wirral, was severely injured by shrapnel which went through his heart following the Arena bombing.
He was in Liverpool on Monday and told MailOnline: "I was 10 seconds in front [of the collision]. I'm shaking.
"I said areas away from the main parade could be targets. I said this in interviews."
North West Ambulance Service said 27 people were taken to hospital for treatment, including four children.
Two of those people, including one child, were seriously injured.
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Others were treated at the scene for minor injuries, while some people took themselves to hospital on Monday night.
One woman said she jumped out of the way of the car during the incident in Liverpool on Monday night.
Chelsea told BBC Radio 5 Live: “We heard beeping and screaming and as we looked up the car was coming directly for us and for everybody else and we just jumped, I grabbed my friend to jump out the way and she grabbed her daughter, and it just skimmed us.
“It must’ve been going about 30mph and then we were just in shock that we just nearly got run over but we didn’t really know the gravity of it at that point and we were just in shock, then we saw everybody chasing the car afterwards with all the windows smashed.”
She added: “All of a sudden you just saw people lying on the floor and several police officers running towards the scene.”
Steve Rotherham, mayor of Liverpool City Region, told the BBC on Tuesday that four people are currently 'very, very ill' in hospital following Monday's events.
He told BBC Radio 5 Live: “The actual incident in Water Street will live with those people for all the wrong reasons, and that’s where we have to really focus our minds.
“There are still four people who are very, very ill in hospital and we are hoping of course that they pull through very, very quickly.”