Car horror recalled

Witness says man had to do ‘Superman’ jump to avoid vehicle

HORRIFIC accounts of pedestrians desperately trying to avoid being struck during the Bourke St rampage have emerged in court, with one man doing a ‘Superman’ jump away as the car clipped his legs.

Solicitor Joshua Baldacchino told accused killer James Gargasoulas’ murder trial he had just finished lunch with a friend in Hardware Lane when he saw the maroon Holden Commodore, being driven by a man with a cigarette in his mouth, ploughing into a group of people about 1.40pm.

“People were shrieking,” Mr Baldacchino told the Supreme Court jury.

“The car hit them just like insects, thud, thud, thud, thud, people being thrown in the air.”

Aaron Jensen also described the “horrific” scenes.

“It all happened so quickly. Firstly, it hit a person, a man. He went flying over the vehicle,” Mr Jensen said.

“Then seconds later he hit another person. I just couldn’t believe it was happening.

“You could hear the people screaming. It was quite horrific.

“I went into shock and didn’t know what to do.”

The NAB banker said he saw one woman desperately trying to squash herself up against a building wall to avoid the car, but was hit.

“I saw another man do a Superman jump away from the car but the car clipped his legs,” Mr Jensen said.

“I remember seeing the desperation in his eyes to get away.”

Mr Jensen was first alerted to the danger approaching when he heard sirens.

“I first heard the sound of sirens and vehicles travelling quite quickly. I turned around and expected to see a fire truck but it was a car on the footpath,” he said.

“I still remember to this day the sound of the people being hit.”

The trial, before Justice Mark Weinberg, continues.