Witnesses describe ‘terror’ amid Liverpool parade ramming horror (Image: PA)
Witnesses describe ‘terror’ amid Liverpool parade ramming horror (Image: PA)
IT SHOULD have been a day for a city to revel in its team’s success, but instead it ended in tragedy and chaos, writes Newsquest reporter Marko Vranic.
I, like thousands of others, went along to Liverpool’s Premier League trophy parade yesterday as crowds battled the torrential rain to show out for their club.
For much of yesterday, the city centre was awash with red as people climbed buildings, lampposts, traffic lights and more and huge swathes of people covered entire roads.
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. Credit: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire
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. Credit: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire
(Image: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire) In spite of the weather, the atmosphere was upbeat and euphoric, as Reds fans got to properly celebrate winning the league for the first time in 35 years – they had not been able to hold a parade after winning in 2020 due to Covid-19.
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I had attended with my partner and two Liverpool-supporting friends, and watched as the Liverpool buses rode past our position at the bottom of Chapel Street – the road adjacent to Water Street.
Mass exodus
After the parade passed, amid a mass exodus of people all at once, our group became separated and myself and my partner made it across to Water Street.
(Image: Danny Lawson/PA Wire)
We were about halfway up Water Street, close to a bar which was a meeting point, when we suddenly heard screaming from directly in front of us and a car coming to a stop after careering through the crowd.
Immediately, groups of people started running in the opposite direction and warning others about a car – we didn’t know any more, but people were visibly distraught.
Horror on the incident
At first, we weren’t sure what it was and thought it might have been some form of protest, but the horror of the incident became clear pretty quickly.
What we saw next is difficult to describe – a car brought to standstill with items draped over it, we saw people under a car, people trying to get close to the car, and police attempting to cordon off the area.
There was a mad panic at the time, with some people likely unaware of what had happened – there were so many fans in the area that some had only just stumbled upon the scene or couldn’t get a clear view.
(Image: PA) After seeing for ourselves the gravity of the situation, we carried on up Water Street as dozens of emergency service vehicles arrived at the scene.
Medical attention
We walked past people that had been hit by the car and were now receiving urgent medical attention on the street and finally managed to get away from the area.
People were walking away from the incident shaken, in tears, shocked that this could happen, and on a day which should have been full of happiness.
I was, and remain, shaken by what I saw, but the confusion of it all and my protection over my partner had given me a sense of purpose at the time of the incident – my sole focus was making sure my group was OK.
The incident shut down much of the city centre, with Liverpool Lime Street partially closed for several hours and queues of thousands forming up outside the station.
Latest developments
Nobody could get out of the city, nobody could go home, and it remained almost impossible to get a taxi or Uber for the rest of the evening.
We stayed in the city for several hours, and obsessively kept up with the latest developments from the incident.
When it was confirmed that nobody had died, there was a huge sense of relief, which I imagine many other people there that day would have felt after seeing what we had seen.
A 53-year-old man has since been arrested, and more than 40 people have been injured, including four children.
What should have been a joyous celebration of a fantastic achievement has been marred by an incident which has changed so many innocent lives.