"It was horrific": Car being 'driven erratically' swerves onto pavement and smashes into teenagers outside nightclub

Witnesses have told of the horror moment a car being 'driven erratically' swerved onto a pavement and crashed into two teenagers outside a nightclub in Manchester city centre.

A boy and a girl, both 18, are fighting for their lives after the 'horrific' crash beside Deansgate Locks on Saturday night. Police said a Toyota Yaris, that had been travelling down Whitworth Street West, 'lost control' before hitting two cars and the two pedestrians.

The two victims were rushed to hospital from the scene, where they remain with serious and life-threatening injuries, Greater Manchester Police said.

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One witness has told of the moment the car, which had a green 'P' plate on the window, was seen being 'driven erratically' before 'wobbling' and 'veering to the left'.

"It was horrific," they said. "The car came from the direction of Deansgate onto Whitworth Street. I was on the other side of the road as we'd just left a gig at Rebellion.

"The car caught my eye at it seemed to be driving erratically. I remember seeing one of the hubcaps come off. It carried on a little further wobbling. It veered to the left hitting one car, then a second and then mounted the payment, hitting the pedestrians, ending up parallel across the pavement."

Bouncers and staff members from nearby bars, along with bystanders, are reported to have rushed over to help before emergency crews arrived.

"People ran to help. I ran across the road and the driver was already out of the car and people had rushed to the two injured pedestrians," the witness added. "It was a stroke of luck that there weren't many pedestrians on that side of the road at the time.

"My friend was around the corner on Deansgate waiting for her Uber and heard it. The staff who were first aid trained helped the injured and the bouncers helped corner off the area and keep onlookers away until emergency services turned up. They were a massive help.

"The staff from the bars were brilliant and definitely deserve credits for helping the injured. The pre care they administered before paramedics arrived I'm sure helped them both immensely. The bouncers put metal barriers they use for queue management around the injured. The police arrived shortly after the ambulances and made a bigger cordon."

In a statement, Greater Manchester Police confirmed officers were called to Whitworth Street West near Deansgate Locks at around 10.30pm. A woman, 30, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Detective Constable Simon Venguedasalon, of GMP's Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “Since this incident we have conducted our enquiries overnight and are now in a position to appeal to the public who were in the area for any eyewitness accounts and footage.

"We understand at the time, due to the location, plenty of witnesses to the incident and would urge them to come forward if we haven’t spoken to you yet.

"As part of our investigation we are keen to understand fully the moment leading up to the serious collision to ensure we can provide the necessary answers to the loved ones of the victims who are currently still receiving treatment.”

Anyone with information or detail is asked to call GMP directly on 0161 856 4741 or via 101 quoting incident 3525 of 28/09/2024. Alternatively, details can be passed on anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.