A ‘freak accident’ is how the events were described that left two teenaged spectators needing hospital treatment following a crash during Friday night’s opening leg of the Manx National Rally.
The young men were taken to Noble’s Hospital, and it is believed one has since been transferred to Alder Hey Hospital, after they were hit by a competing car that lost control on the Hibernian Road towards the end of the Ballure stage, causing the rest of the evening’s racing to be cancelled. The rally crew were uninjured though the two teenagers suffered severe bruising of the hip and facial injuries respectively.
Both remained conscious as emergency services arrived swiftly, though one is thought to have been transferred to Alder Hospital in Liverpool for further treatment on his facial injuries.
Clerk of the course Mark Ellison said the collision was still being investigated, and the precise cause of the crash remains unclear.
‘It’s best described as a freak accident, that no one can prepare for,’ he said. ‘There was nothing wrong with the car, and both lads were 8-10 foot high on a bank, in a safe place. It’s hard to believe how they got hit. We’ll do further investigating to see if there’s anything we can do for the future from our point of view.’
Mr Ellison added that both had been under adult supervision. The Ballure stage is new for this year, taking in Ramsey hairpin to the Gooseneck before turning into Hibernia.