Indika Bambrick Samarasinghe, an 18-year-old P-plater, faces nine charges after a car allegedly driven by him hit a crowd of Newcastle Knights supporters near a major roundabout on Saturday morning, injuring ten people. Samarasinghe didn’t apply for release during a brief court appearance on Sunday, and the judge endorsed a warrant for a health assessment.
“Fundraisers were set up for victims,” including a five-year-old girl and Wallsend grandfather Dave Martin. The fundraising effort sits alongside the court process: Samarasinghe has been charged with nine offences and is due back at Newcastle local court on 15 October. The injured people and their families now face the consequences of a crash that unfolded in seconds.
The crowd at the roundabout
Chris Clancy was among thousands of Newcastle Knights fans lining the streets to farewell the team as players travelled to Sydney for the grand final. He stood at the roundabout when the car came through. “We’re there at the roundabout having fun – cars going past, beeping their horns, people waving,” he said. “The next thing, this car stops [at] the roundabout and then he just floored it on the wet ground, lost it.”
Clancy described how quickly the scene changed. “It happened in seconds, but when you stand there, seeing the car coming at you, I honestly thought I was going to die. It just felt like slow motion.” He suffered small fractures in his ribs and spine, a broken collarbone and small fractures in his foot.
Six injured people remained at John Hunter hospital, Hunter New England Local Health District chief executive Tracey McCosker said. Two were in a serious condition, while four were stable. The five-year-old girl was in an induced coma with critical injuries, but her condition had stabilised.
Dave Martin was struck as he tried to protect his two young granddaughters. He suffered multiple fractures in both legs and underwent lengthy surgery. In Wallsend, people knew him for his love of the Knights and for often decorating his barber shop on Nelson Street with team paraphernalia. Fundraisers named him among those needing support, alongside the child.
The court process and its limits
After the crash, Samarasinghe went to hospital for mandatory testing. Police charged him with nine offences, including dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, negligent driving and causing bodily harm by misconduct. The court heard the most serious charge carries a maximum jail term of seven years. The appearance dealt with release and a health assessment warrant; his next appearance is listed for 15 October.
Investigators didn’t believe the crash was deliberate. They declined to comment on reports that the vehicle had been driven erratically before the crash. The available account identifies the charges and injuries, but doesn’t resolve what happened before the car reached the roundabout.
A community left to carry the cost
The crowd had gathered to farewell the team. Clancy described people waving and cars sounding their horns before the crash. Now injured supporters, families and hospital staff face the aftermath, while fundraisers have been set up for victims. The report doesn’t say who organized those fundraisers or how much they have raised.
Peter Parr, the Knights’ chief executive, expressed concern for those affected. “Newcastle is a strong community,” he said. “We have seen that strength throughout this week, and today we need to draw on it again with compassion, care and support for those who need it most.” His appeal for care follows the response already reported: fundraisers for injured people, and the support Clancy and the other victims will need as they recover.