Newcastle Knights fan caught up in crash thought he was ‘going to die’ when car ploughed into crowd

Newcastle Knights supporter Chris Clancy revealed he thought he was going to die after being struck by an out-of-control car on Saturday. The 48-year-old was among fans gathered in Wallsend to cheer the team bus ahead of the NRL grand final. Clancy suffered a broken collarbone, broken ribs, a foot fracture, and spinal fractures in the incident, which left multiple people hospitalized.

Alleged driver Indika Bambrick Samarasinghe was arrested at the scene and charged with nine driving offences, including dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm. Samarasinghe was refused bail and remains in custody until an October 15 court appearance. Meanwhile, Clancy received supportive messages from Knights stars Kalyn Ponga and Bradman Best, as well as a hospital visit from former player Mark Hughes.