CELTIC STAR: I WAS SCARED FOR MY LIFE
Danger driver fined after head-on collision with Hoops defender
Ralston tells of head-on crash as danger driver is banned
CELTIC star Anthony Ralston yesterday told how he feared for his life and playing career following a horror head-on crash after leaving a training session.
The 21-year-old was driving a new Mercedes when a danger driver in a classic Jaguar ploughed into him on the wrong side of the road.
The Parkhead defender said yesterday: “I was just scared for my life – there was just complete shock.
“I saw it coming so I braced for impact, it was a horrible moment.”
Anthony was speaking at Glasgow Sheriff Court during the trial of Ross Craig, who was driving the other car.
The 57-year-old, of Kilsyth, Stirlingshire, was found guilty of dangerous driving and fined £200. The court heard he collided with Hoops player’s £50,000 Mercedes on the A803 near Milton of Campsie, Stirlingshire, last February.
The footballer escaped with a sore shoulder.
Craig, who had a previous conviction for speeding, was disqualified from driving for 12 months by Sheriff Allan Findlay.
The court heard Anthony was coming home after training at the club’s nearby Lennoxtown complex.
Anthony told prosecutor Pamela Jane Connelly that he clocked Craig going at 50mph in a 30mph zone while on the wrong side of the road.
He said: “The car was just out of control and at speed around the corner. It immediately brought a scare that the car could hit me when I first saw it.
“I was almost at a complete stop, I was helpless.”
Anthony added that he was hit head-on as Ross swerved and attempted to straighten his car to avoid hitting a wall at the side of the road. He said his airbags went off and he was left with a sore shoulder due to the impact.
Anthony said: “I was just in complete shock and due to my career, my first thought was are there any broken bones?
“On seeing the two cars, it was a complete mess.”
Craig, a retired self-confessed classic car fanatic, told the court in evidence that he had little recollection of the incident.
He was taken to hospital for a broken heel, two broken legs, two injured kneecaps, a ruptured spleen and a broken rib, sternum and cheekbone, after being freed from his car by fire crews using cutting gear.
Sheriff Findlay told Craig that he drove too fast for the road and it was dangerous.
At the time, Celtic fans expressed concern for Anthony. One said pals had seen the aftermath of the car crash and described it as “horrendous”.
After the incident, Craig moaned at the loss of his car and branded the footballer “that d***head Celtic player”.
My first thought was are there any broken bones?
ANTHONY RALSTON ON FEARS AFTER CRASH