Teen driver charged after BMW plows Newcastle Knights fans, injuring ten

Around 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, a convertible BMW driven by 18-year-old Indika Bambrick Samarasinghe careened into a line of Newcastle Knights fans gathered along Newcastle Link Road in Wallsend. Police allege the driver was operating the vehicle erratically before losing control and colliding with the crowd. Samarasinghe has been charged with three counts each of dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, and causing bodily harm by misconduct, and he was denied bail with his licence suspended.

Ten supporters were injured, ages two to 67, with a five-year-old girl in critical but stable condition and a 67-year-old man also serious but stable. Other victims, including children and adults, remain in hospital in stable condition, while three men and a woman have already been discharged. Mayor Gavin Morris urged the community to support both the victims and the Knights as the team prepares for the grand final, and players Kalyn Ponga and Dane Gagai expressed solidarity with those affected.