A young child and a baby were rushed to hospital, alongside others, after a driver in his 80s ploughed into pedestrians at a Christmas fair.
The two youngsters and five adults were injured when they were hit by a car during the Chipping Sodbury Christmas Sunday event near Bristol, police confirmed. Emergency services, including paramedics and police, arrived promptly to the scene, reports the Mirror.
It is understood that an elderly man lost control and drove into the crowd gathered at the top of the high street after attempting to manoeuvre out of a parking space. One witness, Esra Ward, who is running a pizza stall at the market, saw the whole thing unfold.
Speaking to the BBC, she said: “We were just talking with the customers in front of our van. The car was parked, and suddenly we saw him accelerate coming out of his parking space and hit a couple of people. There was a mum with a baby in a pushchair in front of the car. Apparently at the back he has hit a few more people, a family. They had ambulances and police and fire all here in about five minutes.”
One person who contacted GloucestershireLive said they became aware of the incident in Chipping Sodbury while attending the minor injury unit down the road in Yate.
They said: “We weren’t there but we are currently at Yate minor injuries unit who have just informed us it’s going to get busy now due to this incident that has just occurred in Chipping Sodbury high street. All we know is there are a lot of ambulances in attendance and a car has driven into the stalls. I don’t know if anyone is injured but it doesn’t sound good at all.”
A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police said: “We were called at midday on Sunday December 1 to a report of a car in a low-speed collision with pedestrians while manoeuvring out of a parking space. The driver – believed to be a man in his eighties – and seven pedestrians including five adults and two children were assessed by ambulance crew at the scene.
“We’d like to reassure people that despite the large emergency response no one is currently described as having either life-threatening or life-changing injuries. Two young children, including a baby, have gone to hospital. Anyone who saw what happened, or who has any footage which could help, and who has not spoken with officers at the scene is asked to call 101 and give the reference 5224315536.”
The organisers of the event said they have been advised by police not to cancel the Christmas Sunday event. They have also called on onlookers not to take pictures of those being treated for their injuries or of the scene.
In a post on their Facebook page, they said: “As many of you are aware there has been an incident at the top of the High Street. We have been advised by the police not to cancel today’s event so the remainder of the High Street from Hobbs House Bakery down towards Broad Street and Horse Street is still open.
“We would ask anyone attending today to please not take photos of the incident, and not speculate on social media as we work the emergency services to help those people who need assistance.”
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