Coronation Street star Alan Halsall has told how ‘no one knew’ as Tyrone Dobbs was left fighting for his life in dramatic scenes.

Those who watch the ITV soap were led to believe that Betsy Swain would be the vicitm of a hit and run following the release of a trailer that gave them a glimpse at what was to come in Weatherfield this month.

But, during Monday’s (September 8) episode of Corrie, fans were shocked to see that passer-by Tyrone was the one who was knocked over after the speeding vechicle swerved to avoid Betsy.

It started when Kevin Webster returned from his holiday with cheating wife Abi Webster and was furious to find that his brother, Carla, was back working in the garage again after Tyrone was left to handle the garage alone.

As fans know, Carl needed the money from working at the garage as he is being blackmailed by Tracy Barlow over his affair with Abi. Eventually, Abi managed to convince Kevin to give his brother his job back permanently, and she and Carl were quick to get back into each other’s arms.

But, she is completely unaware that Carl is using the garage for his latest money-making scheme, and he was soon seen approaching Brody Michaelis and Dylan Wilson with details of their next job, having already enlisted the teens to help him to steal cars.

However, things quickly went disastrously wrong. As they stole their next car, Brody and Dylan were spotted speeding down the road by George Shuttlworth. The two lads then started arguing about Betsy and with them distracted, didn’t see her walking through the precinct.

The tipsy and emotional birthday girl was seen leaving a voice note for Dylan, telling him she’s “drunk and alone”, asking him to call her back. She then left one for her mum, Lisa Swain, following their row, where she admitted to sleeping with Dylan the previous night.

She was heard apologising for what happened, but still asked for some space. In what could have been a foreshadowing comment, Betsy is heard saying: “I know mum died, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to, too,” before the stolen car bears down on her.

Betsy braced for impact before there was a crash and a scream. But, when a panicked Lisa and Carla Connor arrived on the scene, while relieved to see Betsy in one piece, they were shocked to see the car had hit passerby Tyrone Dobbs instead.

Paramedics were soon on the scene and learning of the incident, Tyrone’s wife, Fiz and his mum, Cassie Plummer, raced to the hospital with the children, where they were then informed that Tyrone was having a scan to check for internal bleeding.

The family, including Tyrone’s grandmother Evelyn Plummer and her good friend, Roy Cropper, were then left to wait before another member of staff approached Fiz with some news on her husband.

It’s now been revealed that the dad of two will be left with life-changing injuries. After doctors fought to save his life, in the coming days, it will become evident that the mechanic has suffered a severe spinal injury and is facing a long road to recovery.

Speaking about the major twist for his character for the first time, Alan who has played Tyrone since 1998 , said: “Sometimes people get to read about your storylines going forward in the press, but obviously this one isn’t, and I think it will have caught people by surprise.

“We are ten weeks on from filming it and no one knew. Obviously no one was expecting it to be Tyrone that actually got hit in the end, so I think it would have been a real shock. It’s always good to keep the audience on their toes. I look forward to watching it and seeing people’s reactions.”

Alan was also quizzed on his character’s condition, confirming: “As you can probably imagine, Tyrone’s first thoughts [when he wakes up] are confusion. He can’t really remember what’s happened, he doesn’t know why he’s in the hospital.

“And then as he’s coming round and he’s clearly in lots of pain, he has this realisation that something isn’t quite right and he can’t feel his legs. There’s just a hell of a lot of fear, wondering how he’s got there, why he’s feeling like this. He is terrified.”

With his health at the forefront of everyone’s, and his own, mind, there is also the hope for justice as the investigation into who was responsible for the incident continues.

Alan admitted: “There’s definite frustration there as to who has done this and anger that the police can’t come up with any answers. He’d like some form of justice for this accident and to at least find out who it was. That’s definitely the case for the whole family.

The charity, Spinal Injuries Association have helped advise the production team on the portrayal of Tyrone’s storyline following his accident.

They said: “We are grateful to ITV studios and Coronation Street for raising awareness of the trauma of spinal cord injury, the terrifying impact of sudden paralysis and the long-term management of neuropathic pain and permanent mobility issues.

“Spinal Injuries Association has offered clinical expertise and guidance to accurately represent, as much as feasibly possible, the experience of those who may be living through similar trauma to Tyrone. Seeing the impact on his life and those around him like Fiz will increase public understanding of the experience for the 105,000 people living with spinal cord injury across the UK, many of whom struggle to access the care and expertise they need.”

Alan added of working with the charity: “The show’s brilliant at doing the research. The thing is with a spinal injury, though, is that they’re different for every single person. So speaking to the medical professionals who are on set, I’m wanting to know ‘How much can I turn my shoulders? How much can I turn my head?’

“But everybody has a different reaction to their surgery, and therefore there is no real timeline. It means that we don’t have to be so specific, because that could also bring its challenges. But it’s being aware that there are people at home who this has happened to for real.

“The charity is also arranging for us to meet someone who has been living through a similar situation so it will be invaluable to get some insight from them.”