Hero grandad's brave act revealed as he suffers multiple fractures saving his two granddaughters in Newcastle crowd crash

By CANDACE SUTTON, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA

A grandfather has been hailed as a hero after suffering multiple fractures to both legs while pushing his two granddaughters out of the path of a BMW that ploughed into Newcastle Knights fans.

Dave ‘The Barber’ Martin, a longtime Knights fan, was caring for his two young granddaughters as they waited on Saturday morning to cheer the team bus carrying the Knights to Sydney for the NRL grand final.

The recently retired barber was reportedly struck after pushing the girls to safety.

The gold BMW, allegedly driven by a red P-plate driver, struck at least 10 people, including Mr Martin, two five-year-old girls and a two-year-old child. Another man suffered a broken collarbone.

Mr Martin underwent eight hours of surgery at Newcastle's John Hunter Hospital and is now recovering. His granddaughters were kept in hospital overnight but are now ‘in good spirits’, according to their family.

The incident happened at Newcastle Link Road, at the Transfield Drive roundabout, Wallsend, the western Newcastle suburb where Dave operated his barber shop on Nelson Street, Wallsend's main street, for many years.

Mr Martin had only closed his shop earlier this year, where the Knights fan displayed all his sporting and historic paraphernalia in the window.

His daughter Luce-Mae Martin has started a GoFundMe after Wallsend locals asked 'us how they can show their support'.

Dave Martin, 67, a much loved local Wallsend barber, suffered multiple fractures in both legs and faces a long recovery, but the two little girls are fine and 'in good spirits'

Police alleged 18-year-old Indika Samarasinghe was the driver of the red P-plated gold BMW which ploughed into the crowds of Knights fans waving off the team on Saturday

'We are raising money to help ease the financial burden of the family during this heartbreaking time to help with travel, accommodation, meals and getting Dad back on his feet,' she wrote.

Indika Bambrick Samarasinghe, 18, was arrested at the scene and charged with nine offences arising from the crash of the gold BMW with the plates 'INDIKA'.

Police charged Samarasinghe with three counts of dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, three counts of negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm and three counts of causing bodily harm by misconduct in charge of a motor vehicle.

Samarasinghe did not apply for bail in court on Sunday and it was formally refused. He is due to remain in custody ahead of his next appearance at Newcastle Local Court on October 15.

On Sunday, Newcastle Mayor Gavin Morris said in a video posted to Instagram the community's ‘thoughts remain with those who were hurt or injured in yesterday’s incident’ and provided an update on a five-year-old girl who had been in a critical condition.

Mr Morris said on Instagram that the injured ‘little girl’ had endured a ‘very rough time’ but was now in a ‘stable condition’.

Dave Martin and one of his granddaughters who he pushed out of the path of the car which ploughed into the the Knights fans on Saturday morning at Wallsend in western Newcastle

Police charged 18-year-old Indika Samarasinghe (above) with nine offences, the most serious of which carried up to seven years in jail. The teen was refused bail on Sunday