Chris Clancy was one of thousands of Newcastle Knights fans who lined the streets to farewell his team as they travelled to Sydney for the grand final.
But he was left injured, along with nine other people, when a car driven by an 18-year-old P-plater careered into a crowd gathered on the side of the road near a major roundabout.
Mr Clancy was with his nephews waiting to cheer the Knights when disaster struck on Saturday.
"We're there at the roundabout having fun - cars going past, beeping their horns, people waving," he told AAP.
"The next thing, this car stops (at) the roundabout and then he just floored it on the wet ground, lost it.
"It happened in seconds, but when you stand there, seeing the car coming at you, I honestly thought I was going to die. It just felt like slow motion."
Mr Clancy suffered small fractures in his ribs and spine and a broken collarbone.
In addition, his foot was injured after the car ran over it while the motorist was allegedly trying to drive away.
"I dragged myself across the ground because I couldn't stand at the time, trying to get my foot out, which luckily I did," Mr Clancy said.
The driver was taken to hospital for mandatory testing and subsequently charged with nine offences, including dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, negligent driving and causing bodily harm by misconduct.
He was refused bail and is due to appear in court on Sunday.
Police said two other people in the car were escorted from the crash scene after the crowd turned on them.
Investigators did not believe the incident was deliberate but declined to comment on reports the vehicle was being driven erratically before the crash.
At least seven people remain at John Hunter Hospital with injuries caused by the collision.
They include a five-year-old girl who was placed into an induced coma with critical injuries, although her condition has stabilised.
A 67-year-old man was also hospitalised in a serious but stable condition.
Mr Clancy expressed gratitude to those who provided help after the accident, including a woman who stayed with him and his nephews and took his car home for him, and a man who pushed his nephew Thomas out of harm's way.
Several Knights players sent him their well-wishes via social media, including club captain Kalyn Ponga.
"All the best with the recovery mate! The team and community are with yas (sic)," he wrote.
Knights chief executive Peter Parr expressed deep concern for those impacted by the crash.
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"Newcastle is a strong community," he said.
"We have seen that strength throughout this week and today we need to draw on it again with compassion, care and support for those who need it most," he said.
A diehard Knights supporter who has had season tickets for several years, Mr Clancy told doctors they could operate on his collarbone as long as it didn't clash with his team's grand final face-off with the Sydney Roosters on Sunday night.
"Either way, the guys have done our town proud," he said.
