Liverpool parade crash latest: Car may have tailgated ambulance through closed road | OneFootball

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Starmer says whole country stands with Liverpool after parade crash

A car that ploughed into a jubilant crowd of Liverpool FC fans and left nearly 50 injured may have got into the busy Liverpool street by tailgating an ambulance, The Independent understands.

At least 47 people, including four children, were injured after the car appeared to speed up through a crowd of hundreds of people on Water Street at around 6pm on Monday.

Officers are trying to find out how the suspect, a 53-year-old white British man from Merseyside, was able to able to enter the road which closed under a rolling road closure and packed with revellers.

It comes after Liverpool City metro mayor Steve Rotherham said four people were still “very very ill in hospital” and claimed the car should never have been allowed on the street.

“The question in the forefront of their minds is why did a car end up in Water Street and that’s for the police now to conclude their investigations,” he said.

I don't understand how car got onto street, says traumatised witness

Witness Natasha Rinaldi, 31, who was left “shocked” and “traumatised” after seeing injured people strewn across the road, questioned how the car was able to get onto Water Street.

“The first thing I thought was how did the driver get in. The roads were blocked; it was hard even to get inside as someone walking. I just don’t understand how the car ended up there,” she said.

“A group of people were trying to break into the driver’s car and were shouting ‘get him!’. It was so shocking and took us a while to understand what had happened.”

Alexander Butler27 May 2025 13:10

Driver ‘may have tailgated an ambulance into Water Street’

The police are said to be investigating whether the driver tailgated an ambulance through security barriers into Water Street, The Independent understands.

It comes as questions are asked as to how the vehicle was able to get so close to the parade route.

Officers are trying to find out how the suspect, a 53-year-old from the Merseyside area, was able to able to enter the road which closed under a rolling road closure and packed with revellers.

A spokesman for Liverpool City Council told The Independent: “Water Street was closed under a rolling road closure as part of the traffic management plan for the trophy parade, with Hostile Vehicle Mitigation measures in place.

“The nature of the incident is part of a Merseyside Police investigation, and it would be inappropriate to comment any further.”

Amy-Clare Martin27 May 2025 12:59

Liverpool FC's boss thanks club's supporters who 'helped each other'

Liverpool FC chief executive Billy Hogan thanked the club’s supporters who “helped each other” after a car drove through fans celebrating in the city on Monday.

He said: “On behalf of all of us here at Liverpool Football Club, I would like to extend our heartfelt thoughts to all those who’ve been affected by this appalling incident on Water Street yesterday evening.

“This weekend was one of celebration, emotion and joy spread across the city in our entire fanbase, and it ended in unimaginable scenes of distress with this appalling incident.

“I’d like to pay tribute to our emergency services and partner agencies – Merseyside Police, North West and St John Ambulance Services, and Merseyside Fire and Rescue – who dealt with the incident, and now our hospital staff across the city who are dealing with those who are injured, including tragically four children.

“I would also like to thank our supporters who witnessed this event and helped each other where they could.

“We continue to work with the emergency services and the local authorities to support their ongoing investigation and once again we would ask if anyone has any further information about the incident, please contact Merseyside Police.”

Tara Cobham27 May 2025 12:40

I don't understand how car got onto street, says traumatised witness

Witness Natasha Rinaldi, 31, who was left “shocked” and “traumatised” after seeing injured people strewn across the road, questioned how the car was able to get onto Water Street.

“The first thing I thought was how did the driver get in. The roads were blocked; it was hard even to get inside as someone walking. I just don’t understand how the car ended up there,” she said.

“A group of people were trying to break into the driver’s car and were shouting ‘get him!’. It was so shocking and took us a while to understand what had happened.”

Former minister describes 'full scale operation' in cabinet office after crises like Liverpool crash

Athena Stavrou reports from a panel at the Hay Festival:

A former Tory minister has described the “machine” that kicks in at the Cabinet office after an event such as the Liverpool crash

Former Tory chief whip Simon Hart described the process on a panel at Hay Festival on Tuesday morning, chaired by The Independent’s chief book critic Martin Chilton.

“Unfortunately, I’ve seen similar things happening over the years and I know the machine will be kicking in in the cabinet office and particularly number 10," he said.

"It will be trying to keep abreast of a very rapidly moving news story to make sure the PM knows exactly whats going on and establishing he facts. That’s quite difficult because the facts are not always clear when social media might be throwing out all sorts of theories about what’s going on.

“For the PM – who was probably going to have to go on the news and say something publicly – it had to be 100 per cent right. To establish the information at pace was a real challenge for officials and the police. So that would be a full scale operation.

He added: “But of course there will be people on socials asking “Where’s Starmer? Where’s Starmer?” But there’s probably a very good reason he hasn't said something.”

'I will never forget seeing a woman stuck under the car'

Natasha Rinaldi, 31, was watching the parade from her friend’s flat on Water Street, Liverpool, when she heard “desperate screams” from below.

“We rushed over to the window and saw injured people all over the floor,” she told The Independent.

“We heard so many screams. I will never forget seeing a woman stuck under the car. It was so distressing. She was the last person to be rescued.”

Ms Rinaldi, a Liverpool FC fan for 12 years, said the collision, which injured 47 people including four children, had “destroyed” what was supposed to be a “very happy day”.

She said: “It is unbelievable. I had been dreaming of this day for so long. I have followed the club for years and go to the games all the time.

“Everyone was so happy. But after it, everyone was broken. It destroyed what was supposed to be a very happy day.”

Car should never have been allowed on that street during parade, Liverpool mayor says

The metro mayor of the Liverpool City Region has said a car should never have been allowed on that street during parade.

Steve Rotheram said questions that are being asked are “legitimate”, adding: “The question in the forefront of their minds is why did a car end up in Water Street and that’s for the police now to conclude their investigations.

“Water Street was not a route where vehicles were supposed to be using it, it was blocked off.

“At this end of it, which is the direction that it was coming in, towards The Strand, there were literally hundreds of thousands of people here, so no vehicle would have got through anyway.”