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A woman who fled the war in Ukraine has said being seriously injured in the Liverpool FC trophy parade was “one of the most traumatic experiences” of her life.
Anna Bilonozhenko, 43, fractured her right knee when she was hit by Paul Doyle’s Ford Galaxy as it struck more than 130 people in just two minutes.
Bilonozhenko said it felt like “losing safety all over again” months after she moved from Kyiv to the UK with her 22-year-old daughter, Sasha, after Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Speaking after Doyle was sentenced to 21 years and six months in prison, she described the horror of being struck by the two-tonne vehicle as her daughter tried frantically to save her.
“I remember pushing Sasha out of the way and holding on to the bonnet. The pain was unbearable because my leg was broken, but I knew I had to try and hold on so I wouldn’t fall under the wheels and die,” Bilonozhenko said.
“I was terrified, screaming in pain, completely confused and unable to understand what was happening.
“Suddenly, the car stopped and I realised that I was lying directly in front its wheels, and if it moved again, it would run over me.”
As Doyle briefly stopped, Bilonozhenko fell off the bonnet on to the ground. Her daughter managed to help drag her away from near the front tyres seconds before he then accelerated into more fans.
Liverpool crown court was told that Bilonozhenko spent nine days in hospital where she underwent surgery involving metal plates and screws.
She was unable to leave her home for months and continues to suffer chronic pain, restricted mobility and severe psychological trauma.
Doyle, 54, was recorded screaming and shouting at supporters to “fucking move” as he ploughed into and over 134 people. The judge, Andrew Menary KC, described the act as a “truly shocking” and which “defies ordinary understanding”.
It was revealed on Tuesday that the former Royal Marine, who is married with three children, had a string of convictions in the early 1990s – including one for biting off a man’s ear in a pub brawl – but had not been in trouble with the police for 30 years until he was arrested in May.
A former marine who served alongside Doyle told the Guardian he was well known in their close-combat Yankee Company for his explosive outbursts.
Bilonozhenko, who now lives in north Wales, said she had attended the victory parade to “reconnect with something positive” after the death of her mother.
“After a few months of grieving for my mum and slowly beginning to heal, I thought that spending a day out together might help lift our spirits and bring a bit of light back into our lives,” she said.
“As a Liverpool supporter, I believed the celebrations would be a way to reconnect with something positive. I never imagined that what began as a fun-filled day would turn into one of the most traumatic experiences of our lives.”
She described seeing people “lying on the ground everywhere and we thought some of them were dead”.
In a statement released through her solicitors, Irwin Mitchell, Bilonozhenko said she had begun to feel safe in the UK after enduring two years of Vladimir Putin’s assault on Ukraine.
“But now it feels like losing safety all over again and my studies to improve my career prospects are on hold,” she said.
“I still hope that one day, we will both be able to feel safe again and that by getting the rehabilitation I need, I can overcome my injuries as much as possible to create a better life for us and give something back to the country that has been so kind and welcoming to us.”
