A FOOTBALL fan narrowly escaped death after being crushed by a supporters bus – just minutes after he watched his team lift the Scottish Cup.
Hearts fan Jimmy Campbell feared he would die after was trapped against a wall before being dragged along the ground outside Glasgow’s Hampden Park.
The 27-year-old suffered damage to his spleen and kidneys and also damaged most of the muscles in his chest.
Jimmy had just watched Hearts lift the Scottish Cup
The father-of-one was rushed to the high-dependency unit at Glasgow Victoria Hospital and will have to spend months recovering from his ordeals.
Mr Campbell, who lives in Edinburgh, said all he could think about was his fiancée and young daughter.
He said: “What happened was that when we got to the pick-up point [after the match] I could not see our bus number.
“I spotted our rep at the gates as one of the other coaches was pulling up and I stupidly walked down the outside of the coach and the wall. As I did this the coach started to turn right, crushing me into the wall. Luckily I managed to roll myself a little when the bus hit me or else I would be dead.”
A horrified passerby put Mr Campbell into the recovery position before nearby paramedics rushed to his aid.
Mr Campbell, who is due to get married in September, said: “I was awake the whole time but I thought that was me. I was lying there thinking I’ll never see my daughter or my fiancée ever again.”
Medics plan on releasing Mr Campbell, possibly into the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, later this week but they expect him to spend a long time recovering.
The Hearts fanatic said the incident “put a massive dampener” on the day, which saw Hearts beat city rivals Hibs by five goals to one.
He said: “I wish I could have seen the team parade the cup on Sunday.
“To celebrate the win I had a small sing song to myself when the drugs kicked in but nothing much.”
But he joked: “If it meant watching us lifting the big cup against the wee team I’d do it all again.”
A spokesman for Hearts FC said: “Everyone was shocked when we heard of Jimmy Campbell’s accident and we all wish him a speedy recovery.”
It is understood that no criminal action has been taken against the coach driver.
