Car collides with pedestrians in Shrewsbury town centre

The vehicle, a cream Rover car was seen to be reversing down Claremont Bank in the town centre when the incident occurred around 2pm.

It is understood the driver, an elderly man in his eighties, lost control of the vehicle and collided with the pedestrians before coming to a stop at hoardings at a building site on the corner of Belmont and Claremont bank.

Six pedestrians were injured in the incident. Of the five treated by ambulance staff, a man and a woman were immobilised with neck collars and spinal boards by ambulance crews. The woman also suffered a cut to her head. Both were taken by land ambulances to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

Two teenage boys were treated on scene by crews for minor injuries; one suffered a cut to his head and the other had a rib injury. Both were also taken to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital for further assessment and treatment.

A seven-year-old boy was assessed by ambulance staff as he had sustained bruising to his leg and was in shock. Happy that the boy didn’t require hospital treatment, ambulance crews discharged him on scene and left him in the care of his mother.

The driver of the car, an elderly man, was visibly shocked. He was taken to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital for further assessment as a precaution.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said:

“Fortunately, no one suffered very serious injuries and given that it happened in a busy street, it was remarkable that more people weren’t caught up in the incident.”

Sergeant Claire Greenaway, who took charge at the scene, said the emergency services worked together to bring a serious situation in the middle of town quickly under control.

The area was closed off by staff from Shrewsbury Town Council while the causalities were given first aid and taken to hospital. The air ambulance was initially called for, and although it arrived overhead, was not required.

Sergeant Greenaway thanked members of the public who witnessed the incident for coming forward.

She said: "We have a number of witnesses but it's important for anyone who saw what happened, to contact Shrewsbury police station on 0300 333 3000.

"Thanks to the efforts of the emergency services personnel and everyone else who assisted - including members of the public - the incident was quickly under control and we were able to reopen the area again within little more than an hour."

Four ambulances, an incident support officer and a rapid response vehicle attended the scene. The Midlands Air Ambulance from Cosford was also requested but was later stood down by crews on the ground prior to it landing. Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service also attended.

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Video By: Ben King @imbenking