‘It could have been some of us’

Cavan Liverpool supporters in shock at ramming incident

A Cavan man was among the Liverpool supporters at the Premier League victory parade Monday evening, when an apparent car ramming incident took place.

Canningstown native Roy Donohoe told the Celt that he and a group of 10 friends were about 200 yards away from the commotion.

Although he didn’t witness the incident directly, videos of a vehicle driving through a crowd of people on Water Street were posted “nearly straight away” with news of the incident travelling “instantly” among the approximately one million fans gathered.

“There were videos and everything just uploaded nearly straight away. It was mad,” the 27 year old said.

A 53-year-old British man from the Liverpool area, believed to be the driver, was arrested after a car hit a number of pedestrians just after 6pm on Tuesday evening. The incident happened on Water Street, which was pedestrianised for the purpose of the celebrations.

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that four people, including a child, were trapped beneath the vehicle and had to be rescued.

Seconds earlier, Roy, a lifetime Liverpool supporter, said the atmosphere was great.

“Everything was hopping. You wouldn’t believe it then, the car just came out of nowhere.

“Once that happened, the whole mood just changed completely... Nobody knew what had happened.

“There were loads of police about nearly instantly,” he described.

Twenty-seven people were taken to hospital after the incident with two seriously injured, one of whom is a child, while another 20 were treated at the scene.

Police have confirmed that the incident is not being treated as terror-related.

Speaking to the Celt this morning (Tuesday), Roy was still struggling to “put into words” what had happened with the severity of the event only hitting him upon reading articles online.

“It’s only nearly today when you look back and see how lucky you were.

“It could have been some of us the same as anyone else,” he said.

Travelling out to what should have been a celebration of Liverpool’s success, he said: “You don’t expect those things to happen.”

A hefty police presence remained along Water Street and the surrounding areas yesterday, with the blue inflatable field tents used to treat victims still on the road.

Authorities have not yet released the name of the suspect, and at the time of print any motive remained unclear.

In the aftermath, Liverpool FC cancelled a planned staff party and suspended all social media activity.

Projections on the Royal Albert Dock celebrating their team’s triumph were also turned off.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer offered his “thoughts and prayers” to those affected, and Merseyside Mayor Steve Rotheram expressed sympathy with the victims, praising the emergency services for their swift response.

Solidarity in the city

Rivals Everton FC also extended their support, calling the incident a “serious tragedy in our city”.

In a statement Liverpool FC said they are in direct contact with police and pledged full support to those affected.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been impacted by this serious incident.”