Victim describes town centre carnage as “something out of a film”

A teenager from Rochdale who was hit by a car that deliberately drove on to the pavement outside the Dali Bar in the early hours of Sunday morning has spoken to Rochdale Online of the horror of the incident. 

The victim, who doesn’t want to be named, was hit by the car as he stood outside the Litten Tree pub and suffered leg and head injuries.

He said: “It sounded like a fight and then I saw a car flying by, then it hit me.

“If I had fallen the other way the car would have gone over my head. The tyre went over my knee and now it’s badly swollen.”

The teenager was enjoying a night out with friends before the chaos began. One friend has been left with a broken finger and sprained ankle and the other with a shoulder complaint.

“I definitely didn’t expect it to happen. It isn’t something you think will happen on a night out.

“I was shocked. Everyone was screaming and trying to get out of the way. That’s all I saw and then it hit me and I went flying.

“It was like something out of a film.”

At least twenty five people were hit when the driver of a stolen car ploughed into crowds at around 2.00am on Sunday (17 October 2010) morning.

14 people were admitted to hospitals in Oldham and Bury and many walking wounded were treated at the Rochdale Infirmary.

Police have arrested a 26-year-old man following the incident and it is understood they are still hunting another man.

Were you outside the Dali Bar at the time of the event? Are you a victim of this crime?

Contact the Rochdale Online news team via email on news@rochdaleonline.co.uk or by phone on 07538579786