A man in his 60s was rushed to hospital after a car ploughed through the wall of JD Gym in Bury, with a witness describing how he thought there was an ‘explosion’ as bricks and concrete flew into the busy gym
A bloke who was in the bustling JD gym when a car dramatically crashed through the wall, causing bricks and debris to fly inside, has recounted the moment he believed there was an ‘explosion’.
Emergency services, including paramedics and fire crews, were summoned to the scene at the Angouleme retail park just before 5pm on Tuesday (April 14) following reports of a vehicle hitting the wall of the gym near Rochdale Road.
Chaotic footage from inside, shared with the Manchester Evening News, depicted dust and bricks tumbling into the busy gym as patrons were utilising the facilities. The car’s bonnet was lodged in the wall as customers hastily evacuated the area.
Amid the pandemonium, voices could be heard yelling “move, move!” shortly after the crash, with an alarm also sounding off in the background. The gym was compelled to shut down following the significant collision.
Dylan Winborne, 21, who was at the gym with a mate, described the moment a man using the machines was catapulted ‘two metres’ into the air after the car rammed through the external wall. Police confirmed a man in his 60s was swiftly taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, reports the Manchester Evening News.
He said he thought there had been an ‘explosion’ after witnessing a ‘barrage of concrete and bricks’ hurtling into the gym, which was occupied by customers at the time. It was then that he spotted the headlights from the car, which had become stuck in the wall.
“Me and my mate were in there working on our back,” he said. “We’d only been there for about 15 minutes and we were literally just about to go onto the machine where the accident happened.
“As we were walking over to it, we just saw a massive barrage of concrete and bricks flying. I thought it was an explosion at first. [Through the] rubble the headlights of the car were shining through.
“It was a crash and I was only like a metre or so away from it. A guy was on the machine and he got hit by the car and went flying up, probably about two metres away from it and he was bleeding from the neck. He looked like he was in a lot of pain.
“I went over to the guy straight away to see if he was alright and then I backed off a little bit because I didn’t want to touch him just in case he had a serious injury.
“About five minutes after that everyone got evacuated from the gym and we went outside. Within ten minutes there was a helicopter there there were loads of police cars.”
A substantial cordon was established as the gym temporarily closed due to the damage. The scene unfolded in the car park, where the vehicle had become wedged into the external wall.
The car’s driver, a woman in her 40s, was rescued by fire crews and sustained injuries. She remains hospitalised and has been arrested on suspicion of causing injury by dangerous driving, as confirmed by the police.
A statement released by Greater Manchester Police detailed: “Officers responded to an incident at 4.45pm today (14/04/2026) at JD Gym on George Street, Bury, with the assistance of NWAS and the Greater Manchester Fire Service.
“It was reported that a car had driven through the wall of JD Gym, resulting in structural damage of the building. In the incident a man in his 60’s has been struck by the car while inside the gym and has sustained non-life changing injuries. A woman in her 40s has been arrested on suspicion of causing injury by dangerous driving, she remains in hospital at this time. If you have any information, please contact officers on 101 or LiveChat quoting log 2424 of 14/04/2026.”
The gym subsequently issued a statement on social media, outlining how a ‘vehicle made contact with the exterior of the building’ causing damage. The gym announced it would be shutting its doors until further notice, with building surveyors also dispatched to the site.
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said: “At around 5pm on Tuesday 14 April, fire crews were called to reports of a road traffic collision on George Street, Bury.
“Two fire engines from Bury and Whitefield stations, as well as the technical rescue unit from Ashton, were quickly mobilised to the incident, which involved a car colliding with a commercial building.
“Firefighters extricated a woman from the car, while another man inside the building was injured in the collision. Both were treated at the scene by paramedics and then taken to hospital by North West Ambulance Service.
“Fire crews remain in attendance, working with Greater Manchester Police and the local council’s building inspection team to make the area safe.”