Witness describes ‘horror movie’ that unfolded as driver on suspended licence killed man, 71, when he ‘smashed into diners in Perth’s CBD’
- Witness described ‘horror movie’ car crash that killed diner outside a Perth bar
- Stephen Willison was drinking at My Place Bar and Restaurant on Friday night
- A Land Rover crashed into a car and vehicle went through alfresco dining area
- Mr Willison threw himself back across the bar out of the way of the vehicle
A man who witnessed a car crash that killed a 71-year-old diner and injured five other people outside a restaurant has described the scene as a ‘horror movie’.
Stephen Willison was drinking at My Place Bar and Restaurant when a black Land Rover mounted the kerb along Pier Street in Perth at 6.25pm on Friday.
Police allege the vehicle then crashed into a Toyota Corolla, propelling it through the busy alfresco dining area outside the bar.
Alleged driver Jamie Eric Glasfurd, 60, was driving on a suspended licence and has been charged with aggravated dangerous driving causing death and driving on a suspended licence.
A man who witnessed a car crash that killed a 71-year-old diner and injured several other people outside a restaurant has described the scene as a ‘horror movie’
Mr Willison said he was lucky to be alive after he changed seats moments before the car ploughed through the outdoor dining area.
‘I’d been sitting at a table on pavement and I went to get a beer’ he told The West Australian.
‘This was two minutes before the accident, when I came back someone had taken my seat, so I went to a different stool overlooking Pier street.’
Mr Willison said he watched the car crash into an entire table of diners he had been sitting next to just moments earlier.
He described watching a 71-year-old man lying on the ground and dying ‘two or three minutes’ later.
‘The shock of it, was just so horrific – it didn’t throw me back, but I threw myself back across the bar, it was an instantaneous reaction,’ he said.
Police allege the vehicle then crashed into a Toyota Corolla before sending it through the busy alfresco dining area outside the bar
Diner Priyesh Adatia had been enjoying post-work drinks with two friends when the crash unfolded
A 41-year-old man was taken to Fiona Stanley Hospital in a serious condition. Four men in their 20s were taken to hospital to be treated for their injuries. Two have since been discharged.
Witnesses claim the black Land Rover ran through a red light before turning off Murray Street and on to Pier Street.
It then mounted the kerb and crashed into the parked Toyota Corolla before hitting another car and flipping onto its roof.
Diner Priyesh Adatia had been enjoying post-work drinks with two friends when the crash unfolded.
He said a tyre dislodged from the Land Rover, flew across the outdoor dining area, and missed his head by a ‘couple of inches’.
Police allege the black Land Rover crashed into a parked Toyota Corolla before hitting another car and flipping onto its roof
The trio then rushed to the overturned SUV before trying to help the alleged driver Glasfurd.
‘Me and my two friends quickly sprinted over to the black four-wheel drive to help the driver straight away,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.
‘We sat with him and tried to get a response while my other friend was talking to the emergency staff on the phone.’
Glasfurd, from Walebing, was taken to Royal Perth Hospital in a serious condition.
He faced Perth Magistrate’s Court from a hospital bed on Saturday.
A duty lawyer said Glasfurd was heavily sedated and unresponsive. The matter was adjourned until Monday.