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When one. thirteen people were injured demolition derby car crashed audiences in the southeast Australia on Saturday evening.
The horrific accident took place at a motorcycle rally show ground in Walcha, a rural town. new South Wales, Where a driver named Steven Taylor collided with another vehicle and entered the crowd.
The rally is a major annual event for the regional city. In addition to the demolition derby, the Walcha Motorcycle Rally includes a motorcycle street procession, a show and shine, barrel racing, postie bike event and postie bike soccer.
New South Wales Police said the vehicle lost control after hitting the track and struck a barrier before colliding with a mobile grandstand. news.com.au Informed.
Emergency services transported a man in his 50s with spinal and hip injuries and another man in his 30s with head injuries to an area hospital in serious but stable condition.
The other 11 victims, aged between 20 and 75, were treated at hospitals in Walcha, Armidale and Tamworth. Six suffered serious injuries.
The driver, Taylor, 27, was treated for minor injuries at the scene and taken to hospital for mandatory testing.
Footage from the rally shows a yellow speedway car heading straight towards the spectators, breaking the perimeter fence and bringing down a marquee.
Driver’s brother Blake Taylor said in a post on facebook That he “hit a car in the middle of the field” and “blacked out.”
He confirmed that his brother was out of the hospital and asked for some time for him as he and his family were “overwhelmed by what happened”.
ABC News quoted Hunter NSW Ambulance Inspector Luke Wiseman as saying that the remaining victims were in a stable condition.
Police said experts from the Crash Investigation Unit are examining the crash site and video evidence.
He said the demolition derby car has been seized for forensic inspection.
In an update on Sunday afternoon, they confirmed that the driver had been involved in a collision just before the crash and had not been charged with wrongdoing. Mandatory testing was done in the hospital.
Northern Tablelands MP Brendan Moylan said nine people were in hospital on Sunday but all were recovering and he said the community was receiving support from local authorities.
Mayor Eric Noakes told ABC News there was a sense of somberness in Walcha on Sunday as residents understood the scale of the disaster.
“And it’s completely around our concerns and prayers and thoughts for those affected. The shows go on every year and we’ve never seen anything like this,” he said, adding that he personally felt “hollowed out and disappointed” for the visitors who “came here to have a good time”.
Australian Demolition Derby Association vice-president Shane Ryan said his “stomach turned” after watching the livestream.
“It was a terrible thing that should never have happened and I hope it never happens again,” he told ABC News.
“Obviously it was a freak accident and things like this can happen – it’s an unpredictable sport.”