Couple and baby hit by car at Liverpool parade

3 weeks ago 3

Shyamantha Asokan

BBC News, West Midlands

Harry Rashid A man and woman stand with three younger women, in front of a crowd on a street. The three younger women are wearing red football shirts. Many people in the crowd behind the are also wearing red football shirts.Harry Rashid

Harry Rashid, from Solihull, was at the victory parade with his wife and three daughters on Monday

"People going flying and people screaming and just terror, pure terror... I thought I'd lost everything."

Daniel Evason from Telford, Shropshire, was one of multiple pedestrians hit by a car which ploughed into the crowd watching Liverpool FC's victory parade on Monday.

Mr Evason's partner was dragged under the vehicle's wheels and his baby son's pram tossed metres down the street.

Dozens were hurt during the incident on Water Street in Liverpool city centre, with two seriously injured. Police said a 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area had been arrested, adding he was believed to be the driver.

Mr Evason was walking up the parade with his family about 18:00 BST when they noticed people running towards them. Suddenly, the car emerged from the crowd.

"I saw a gentleman on the bonnet and the rest was just chaos," he said.

The car struck him in the chest before his partner went under its wheels and was dragged down the road.

Meanwhile, the impact spun their son's pram about four and half metres (15ft) down the street.

For a moment, Mr Evason did not know whether either of them had survived.

"It was hard because I didn't know where anyone was or what to do," he said. "A lot of people were angry and I saw the car getting smashed."

Mr Evason was able to locate his son, who was unharmed, and leave him in a restaurant with helpers as he went back to search for his partner.

Their baby was now as "good as gold", he said, while his partner remained in hospital and was waiting to hear whether she could return home.

"It was the day it was meant to be to start off with, it was perfect," he said. "And under the sea of chaos it changed to the worst day of my life.

"It will stay with me for the rest of my life. I don't believe I'll be able to go to a parade again because there will always be that fear at the back of my mind."

PA A cross-road that has been cleared of all traffic. There are police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks parked on the streets.PA

The ambulance service said 27 people were taken to hospital and 20 were treated for injuries at the scene

Harry Rashid, from Solihull, was in the crowd with his wife and three daughters when he saw the car "surge forward" and strike people people just "10 yards" away.

"There were people crying around us, there were people screaming, it just didn't seem real," he said.

Merseyside Police said "a number of pedestrians" were hit by the vehicle as they gathered to watch the parade.

"There were people lying on the ground, one of them was crumpled over," Mr Rashid said.

"It was horrible."

He added some in the crowd had tried to force the car's door open and get the driver out.

"I was just hoping that somehow it [would] just stop," he said.

"There were kids [there], my own kids were there, and we had nowhere to go. We were all just stuck amongst this crowd. We were all just pressed against each other."

His first feelings were of confusion, he said, adding: "Where do you get away, where do you go?

"The other worry was: 'Is this guy by himself? Is there someone else?'"

DAM VAUGHAN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Three people are wearing forensic suits with cameras around their necks. They are standing on a pavement with rubbish scattered around them. In the background cars are parked on the road.DAM VAUGHAN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Daniel Evason said the football parade turned out to be the "worst day of his life"

The ambulance service said 27 people were taken to hospital and 20 others were treated for injuries at the scene. One of the two seriously injured people is a child.

Police say they are not treating the incident as terror-related.

"I really wish the best for everyone who has loved ones who've been injured," said Mr Rashid, who has 25-year-old twin daughters and a third daughter aged 14.

"We're the fortunate ones - we've just got the emotional trauma."

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