Footage broadcast by 7NEWS showed the car losing control through a roundabout and skidding on the wet road at Newcastle Link Rd in Wallsend. Witnesses and passengers in other cars captured parts of the incident, and videos of the driver have since spread online.
Police have reported that the conditions of those most seriously injured in the crash are improving. Assistant Commissioner David Waddell said patient conditions were improving for the most seriously injured. Earlier reports described a five-year-old girl and a 67-year-old man as fighting for life; by Sunday morning both were serious but stable in John Hunter Hospital. Four others, including a 2-year-old and another 5-year-old girl, were stable, while four people were discharged on Saturday.
Samarasinghe was arrested at the scene and underwent mandatory drug and alcohol testing. He has been charged with three counts each of dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm and causing bodily harm by misconduct in charge of a motor vehicle. His licence has been suspended again.
Court records show his licence was previously suspended in February and that an appeal against the suspension in April was unsuccessful.
Injured spectator Chris Clancy said the car appeared to speed up as it went through a roundabout before losing control. "No-one had time to move," he said. "I thought I was going to die, it happened so fast."
Fans at the scene provided first aid before emergency crews arrived. The Knights' team bus, which had not yet departed, was rerouted, and a person aboard described a sombre ride after players were told what had happened. The car Samarasinghe was allegedly driving has been seized for forensic examination. Two male passengers, aged 18 and 19, were uninjured.