Paramedic injured as car ploughed into Liverpool parade describes moment he feared terrorist attack

Jay Vernon was not meant to have been on duty at Water Street when Paul Doyle drove his car into Liverpool FC fans celebrating their club’s title win back in May.

The 34-year-old from Aigburth had been on shift as a cycle response lead to get pedal bikes with ambulance kit around the parade event in the city centre. Within hours, he found himself caught up in traumatic scenes as Doyle, 54, from West Derby, drove his Ford Galaxy into the crowds.

More than 100 pedestrians, ranging from children aged as young as six months to a 78-year-old woman, were injured after being struck by a Ford Galaxy on Water Street shortly after 6pm on Monday, May 26, as what was meant to be a day of joy turned into scenes of devastation and terror. A total of 50 casualties required hospital treatment in the aftermath of the shocking incident.

Doyle is to be sentenced for his crimes this week and has been warned to expect a lengthy custodial stay. Speaking about his experiences on that day in May, Jay said it had begun as a day like any other.

He said: “I was part of the business as usual team so the idea for us was to be responding to patients who weren’t directly involved with the Liverpool parade incident because there’s significant pre-planning and resources and that goes into that. It was felt that they had adequate resources and clinicians to dedicate the time to the Liverpool parade crowds and the bus itself, so we were predominantly in and around the city centre on the pedal bike.”

Jay, himself a Liverpool fan, said there had been a “sea of red and white” in the city centre on that day which he described as being in high spirits. He added: “There was a really good vibe around Liverpool and it was a really good day, despite the weather, up to around 6pm.”

The 34-year-old said he was drawn to Water Street after a call went out over the radio for additional resources after the bus had passed the area amid reports of a suspected cardiac arrest. He said: “I made the decision to get off the pedal bike and I was pushing the bike itself.

“There was a police sergeant to my right and I was walking to the left-hand side to the passenger side of the ambulance. We were creating that space moving the crowds dispersing so that the ambulance could get down quite freely.

“I had to do that on foot as I just felt it was unsafe for me to still be sat on the saddle of a pedal bike in such a large crowded area.” Moments later, pandemonium took hold and Jay, who is normally responding to those in need, became a victim of Doyle’s actions himself.

He said: “The moment I realised something had happened is when I was struck from behind. As I was walking in front of the ambulance, I was struck with almighty force from behind, which has then sent me flying over to the right hand side and I landed in the gutter on Water Street.

“As I’ve put my hands out to brace myself as you normally would, there were a number of people around me and on the floor. As I’ve looked left I’ve seen a car and I’ve then seen the car’s reverse lights come on and start heading back up towards Water Street.

“It was at that point in my mind, I immediately thought ‘I’m in the middle of a terrorist incident.’ I was very vulnerable because I didn’t have a vehicle to sit in.

“I jumped up off the floor and then I’ve jumped out of the way and I’ve watched the car then reverse with some speed and which has then resulted in the car hitting the front of the ambulance and then ricocheting back off into Water Street itself.”

Jay was one of the more fortunate people on that day, sustaining cuts and grazes to his hands and legs having worn shorts as a cycle-based paramedic that day. He spoke of how he managed to radio through to colleagues to say he’d been hit and there were multiple people injured around him.

He said: “I obviously had a quick look around and made sure I was okay, as well as I could be, there were no broken bones or anything for me because obviously running high on adrenaline, you can quite easily miss your own injuries.” Jay added how he didn’t take time to dwell on his own sores and headed back out to help others.

He said: “I initially started attending to some patients. There was a point in time when the vehicle then moved again, so this all happened really quickly.

“The vehicle then moved and it headed back down towards Water Street. It was at that moment in time then that I actually feared for my safety.

“I had passed some emergency messages via the emergency button but I felt really vulnerable.” Jay managed to take a moment to collect himself in the back of an ambulance before coming to the aid of people with young children to give them a safe space.

He described how as he headed back out to retrieve his equipment, people were shouting about casualties being trapped under Doyle’s car and off-duty medics had stepped in to help. Jay recalled the scene of bottles of alcohol being strewn along the pavement alongside pushchairs on their side and bodies laying on the ground.

He said despite being hurt, his only focus was on going to support others. He said: “I think at the time, yes I was struck, yes I had some minor injuries but ultimately you just switch to ‘I’m there as a paramedic and I’m there to help people.’

“Ultimately, the adrenaline and that desire to help people just kicked in and that I think that’s what got me through and the majority of the incident.” Jay explained how he took a moment to process the emotional impact of what he had been through and let family know he was safe.

Jay added: “The whole incident did make me feel a bit anxious about large scale events etcetera but you put on this you come to work and you do your job persona. I think that there was some anxieties around the court case but it was a little bit intense.”

In a dramatic turn of events, as Doyle appeared in court last month his counsel Simon Csoka KC asked for his client to be rearraigned on all charges. Appearing in the dock wearing a black suit and glasses and sporting slicked back greying hair, he broke down in tears as he admitted all of the counts on the indictment through floods of tears.

The paramedic said he took relief from Doyle’s guilty plea after receiving a news alert on his phone. Looking back on the evening in question, Jay said “what could have been 10 seconds could have been 10 hours for me” which he described as a natural response to something quite significant.

He also expressed how despite not knowing what could have been inside Doyle’s car as police officers tore it apart, he was not deterred in his desire to help those hurt in the chaos. Jay said: “It was at that moment that I stopped and was thinking ‘what am I going down towards here?’

“The overriding thing was although being injured, I was there and it was just to help as many people as I possibly could.” The paramedic admitted there was a moment when he did fear the worst and said there could have been a different outcome had there not been the pre-planning in place from emergency services.

He said: “I think having those people there and the injured people getting first class treatment so quickly after being injured was ultimately a game changing effort for a positive outcome for everyone.”