Friday’s leg of the Hoznayo rally festival ended on a sombre note during the final special stage, when Mattin Villares, driving a Renault Clio, lost control of his car on a rain-slicked asphalt road.
The Renault Clio began to spin, and Villares was unable to steer the car into the corner. The car ran wide through the bend and crashed into a group of spectators who were watching the stage from a restricted area.
The car struck several spectators. Nine people were taken to hospital: one with a suspected broken tibia, four with bruises, and four suffering from anxiety attacks.
The situation could have been much worse. The organisers had marked the area with two separate red tapes, clearly indicating it was a prohibited viewing zone. Despite this, numerous spectators had gathered on the outside of the corner.
This time, a major disaster was avoided. After the accident, the event organisers issued a strong appeal to spectators to respect the red tapes and to watch the rally only from safe locations.
Of the nine people injured in the accident, eight had been discharged from hospital by Saturday. The final patient, who had remained under observation, was able to return home on Sunday morning.
In the end, the situation fortunately resulted in no serious injuries, as the suspected broken tibia was ruled out following further medical examinations on Saturday.
Below is a video of the incident (warning: not suitable for sensitive viewers):
