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STEFANIE PRAISED LIVERPOOL FANS WHO "PUT THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE TO TRY AND STOP THAT VEHICLE INJURING MORE PEOPLE" 19:38, 27 May 2025Updated 21:31, 27 May 2025 A woman has
described the "utter heroism" of Liverpool fans who fought to try and stop a car injuring more people as it ploughed into crowds on Water Street on Monday. Stefanie Ryder-Walker
was with her fiancé Ellis Matthews, his father and other friends when they were caught up in the horror of Monday's incident. The 26-year-old described seeing a woman who was right next
to her being thrown into the air as she was hit by the Ford Galaxy car, which had emerged from behind an ambulance. Stefanie told the ECHO: "We had been on The Strand for the parade
and we were walking up Water Street after it had finished. The road was full of people and then we saw an ambulance trying to get through. "My fiancé's dad and others were telling
people to move to the side of the road to let the ambulance through and the crowd parted. Then a car emerged from behind the ambulance. "People were shouting at the driver, saying the
road was closed and to stop, but he accelerated directly into the crowd, we had to physically dive out of the way." Police have now confirmed that the driver of the car - a 53-year-old
man from West Derby - was arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder, dangerous driving and being unfit to drive through drugs. The force said he had effectively tailgated behind
the ambulance as it made its way onto the closed-off Water Street to attend to a man suffering a suspected heart attack. Stefanie, who is a fourth year dental student at the University of
Liverpool, said she and her group had to physically dive out of the way of the oncoming car before witnessing the horrific injuries inflicted on a woman she was stood next to - who she then
rushed to help. She said: "A woman who was stood right next to me was hit and thrown up into the air, she hit the bonnet and the windscreen and went over the car, landing on the other
side. I ran to her and she was curled up in a ball with blood on her face. I applied pressure and pulled her out of the road before another man came to help her." At the same time,
Ellis and other fans realised the car was continuing along Water Street and hitting others. Stefanie explained: "Ellis and a group of others ran after the car trying to stop it. They
were smashing the windows and one guy managed to get into the back seat, trying to restrain the driver - but he was reversing into more people. "I wanted to point out how utterly heroic
the fans were who were there at the time. It had been a day of fans helping each other out at the parade and it continued when this happened. "They put their lives on the line to try
and stop that vehicle injuring more people, to try and protect each other." Article continues below As Stef and Ellis tried to find the rest of their group, they found Ellis'
father on the floor. He had been clipped by the car and had a gash on his leg, but thankfully his injuries were not serious. Merseyside Police has confirmed that in total there were 65
casualties following Monday's incident, with 50 people treated at hospitals across the region. Of those injured 11 people remained in hospital as of Tuesday afternoon, with police
confirming they are all in a stable condition and appear to be recovering well. Speaking about the traumatic incident, Ms Ryder-Walker added: "It is a weird feeling, we are grateful
that we were all OK but also feel guilty about those who were injured. We are just so glad that no one was killed and hope they are all able to recover."