Thirteen people injured after speedway car ploughs into grandstand during NSW demolition derby | New South Wales

An out-of-control car crashed into a grandstand on a highway Saturday night, injuring 13 rural car enthusiasts.

Emergency services rushed to the showgrounds of Walcha, 90km from Tamworth in New South Wales, in the early evening following a crash at the Walcha Motorcycle Rally.

NSW police say the 27-year-old speedway driver was involved in a collision on the track at the demolition derby before his car went over fences and crashed into a crowd.

A NSW Ambulance spokesman said 13 people were injured in the incident.

_{Sign up: AÜ Breaking News email}

Two of them were in critical condition; A man in his 50s was suffering from spinal cord and hip injuries, and a man in his 30s was suffering from head trauma.

They were taken by helicopter to John Hunter hospital in Newcastle.

A hospital spokesman said Sunday morning that the men were in serious but stable condition.

The other 11 victims, aged between 20 and 75, were transported to hospitals in Armidale, Tamworth and Walcha. Six of them were seriously injured.

Police teams investigated the accident scene.

Regional derby driver Taylor Blake said in the video he shared on Facebook that his brother Steven crashed into a car in the middle of the field and passed out.

“It’s still … hard to believe,” he said, adding that he doesn’t know if he’ll ever race again. “It still shook me that much.”

Walcha Council mayor Eric Noakes said some of those injured were local residents.

“I’m on the show floor right now, and it’s a pretty serious place,” he said Sunday.

“Nobody expected this result from something like this.

“We are a very small community… The thoughts of the council and the community are with the people affected and their families.”

Noakes, who was at home at the time of the accident due to heavy rain, described the incident as a “freak accident”.

“Strange accidents happen,” he said.

“I’m sorry, but you never see these things coming.”

In addition to the demolition derby, the annual rally features motorcycle street parades, barrel racing, show and shine, and postie bike events.

The mayor said the council would review its stance on the rally.

“This is a five-year thing but we will certainly re-evaluate our position on things like this,” Noakes said.

“I’m just the mayor and I don’t understand a lot of what’s behind the reassessment and our risk analysis.

“That will be something we will look at.”

New England federal member Barnaby Joyce said after the incident that his thoughts, prayers and hopes were with those in intensive care.

“Thank you to all the off-duty nurses and first responders who dropped almost everything to help the injured. What a sad end to such a wonderful event,” he shared on Facebook.

The Australian Demolition Derby Association said in a post that its thoughts were with the injured and the Walcha community.