Scotland fan who broke back in horror Euros crash takes first steps

The mum of a young Scotland fan has spoken out as her son has taken his first steps after a horror crash left him with a broken back.

Gary Ellis, from Dundee, set off from Edinburgh Airport to Germany with four friends to support Scotland ahead of the Euro match.

However, tragedy struck after the 23-year-old was involved in a horrific head-on-collision outside Weeze Airport in the early hours of June 14.

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Gary, who was a passenger suffered serious injuries alongside the 25-year-old driver of the car. He underwent surgery on his back in Germany earlier this week, and his mum Mandy Coleman said she is overwhelmed by the support the family have received.

She told the BBC: “The love, well wishes and generosity is just outstanding.

“Strangers that don’t even know us or Gary that have just been touched by the event and have given so generously.

“It will go a long way to help him with this recovery, and support him through this time until he’s well enough to return to normal life.”

Gary’s friends set up an online fundraiser to cover the costs for the operation and to help him get back to Scotland. Thanks to the generosity of the public, it has now hit £11,000, the Record reports.

Mandy added: “He’s a very healthy and fit young man, very active, and he’s determined to get mobile again.

“We are dealing with it best we can day by day and trying to be positive for Gary’s sake.”

Gary’s family flew out to Germany to be by his bedside after the car accident. The Scotland fan has now taken his first steps since surgery but it is expected he has a long road of physio ahead.

He shared a video of him walking post surgery and said: “The biggest physical and mental challenge I’ve ever faced but nothing will beat me.

“Thanks everyone for the support.”

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The crash involved a rental Citroen C3 and an S-class Mercedes outside Weeze Airport. The other three Scottish passengers in the vehicle, all 23, suffered minor injuries. The driver of a Mercedes involved in the collision, a 45-year-old German national, also suffered minor injuries.

German police said the Scots used the “wrong lane” after their rental car was driven towards oncoming traffic when they left the airport.

A German Police spokesperson told The Record: “On Friday, June 14 at 00.10am, a traffic accident occured on the airport ring in Weeze. A 25-year-old Scotsman was travelling with four other men from Scotland (aged 25, 23, 23 and 23 years old) in a rental car, a Citroen C3, after arriving at the airport to travel on to Düsseldorf.

“The five men were a group of friends who had traveled to Germany for UEFA EURO 2024. On the way from the terminal towards the exit, the man from Scotland drove in the lane for oncoming traffic.

“This resulted in a head-on collision with a Mercedes Benz S-Class driven by a 45-year-old man from Düsseldorf who was traveling towards the terminal. The driver of the Citroen and a 23-year-old passenger were seriously injured in the accident. The three other people in the Citroen and the driver of the Mercedes were slightly injured.

“Based on the investigations as part of the accident report, it is suspected that the Scottish driver used the wrong lane due to the left-hand traffic in his home country. All of the people were taken to various hospitals in the region by the emergency services. The Citroen was seized to protect the property.”

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