Several Injured, 2 Seriously, After Driver Plows into Group of Joggers During Evening Run By Escher Walcott

A man in his 70s has been arrested after plowing his car into a group of runners in England.

At 8.10 p.m. local time on Tuesday, Jan. 20, a Jeep Wrangler “mounted the verge and collided with a group of runners” along Burwaldsley Road in Tattenhall village, Cheshire, the Cheshire Police said in a statement to PEOPLE.

“Several people were injured, with hospital treatment required for a number of them. At least two people have been seriously injured,” police said.

The car struck eight people believed to be from the running group, Tattenhall Runners, leaving six of them injured, the Daily Mail reported. The group, who were wearing head torches and high vis vests at the time, claimed that the vehicle “suddenly swerved into them” along a bend, according to the outlet.

The driver of the Jeep was a 76-year-old man, Cheshire Police confirmed to PEOPLE. He has been arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

“Cheshire police are treating this incident as a road traffic collision,” said Cheshire Police Inspector Andy Dennison. “I’d urge anyone who witnessed the collision and has not yet spoken to police to contact us.”

“The same goes for anyone who was driving in the area or Burwardsley Road and saw the runners or the Jeep,” added Dennison.

Three of the injured joggers suffered serious head and leg injuries in the collision, according to the Daily Mail. The driver and victims have not been identified at this time.

The reason for the collision has not been disclosed by police.

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“It was absolute carnage. There were bodies all over the road and some were quite seriously hurt,” a witness told the Daily Mail. 

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“All of the runners were correctly dressed for a night run with head stitches and high vis jackets. There is no way the driver of the Jeep wouldn’t have seen them,” the witness claimed. “The car came round the corner, mounted the verge and slammed into them.”

The Cheshire Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact them on 101 or via the website www.cheshire.police.uk/tell-us.