The ramming at Sunday’s victory parade for the soccer team was one of several that have happened across the globe recently.
Sunday should’ve been a joyous day in Liverpool, England, as the city celebrated its soccer team winning the English Premier League title. But Liverpool’s victory parade was marred by chaos when someone drove a minivan through a crowd of spectators, leaving nearly 80 people injured.
This incident follows several others across the globe, including a car attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Eve that left at least 15 people dead.
Are car rammings becoming more common?
Northeastern University research professor of criminology James Alan Fox said these types of attacks are still “quite rare,” but might be coming about as crimes of opportunity.
“Anyone with a car can do this,” Fox said. “They have the means … whereas not everyone has a firearm. Some people are prohibited from buying them, a felon, for example, but a felon can get a driver’s license. … If your objective is to wreak havoc on lots of people, with a car or a truck it’s certainly possible to kill or maim dozens. It doesn’t take much planning.”
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This is especially the case in Europe, where people have fewer firearms than in the United States, Fox added. In addition to the attack in Liverpool, there have been several recent car rammings in Germany.
While a mass shooting requires time to get a firearm and ammunition, most perpetrators with car attacks already have a vehicle, Fox said. A car also allows criminals a “quick getaway” and a degree of protection from apprehension, Fox said. (Though the suspect in the Liverpool attack, a 53-year-old British man, was found and arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, dangerous driving and driving under the influence.)
“The choice of means has to do with comfort and access as well as the getaway issue,” Fox said. “I don’t see any difference in their motivation. Their motivation is basically to kill lots of strangers and wreak havoc, which is the same motivation of public mass shooters.”
These types of attacks can result in serious injuries in masses, especially when a larger car or truck is used, said Stephen Wood, visiting associate clinical professor of nursing at Northeastern University.
People in car attacks may suffer blunt force trauma, especially around the pelvis and femur. Victims may suffer broken bones and lung injuries, especially if they get crushed by a crowd in the chaos.
“You’ll see a variety of pretty serious injuries, mainly to the truncal region,” Wood said. “Those injuries can be devastating and difficult to manage. If you think about where the body is in regards to a car, that’s going to be mostly pelvic injuries or long bone injuries like the femur.”
Staying alert in public spaces can help protect you if something like this does happen, Wood said. Car attacks can also lead to stampedes as people try to escape so running away from the crowd and protecting yourself behind a barrier can also help, Wood added.
“Situational awareness is number one,” he said. “Be aware of what’s going on around you and be able to react and respond if something happens. You see people have their ear buds in, they’re listening to music. That’s great. But you also have no idea what’s going on around you a majority of the time. I’m not saying people should never do that, but when we think about being in crowded areas, just being aware of your surroundings is critical.”