Oh no, the brakes
Driver’s words just seconds before coach crashes, killing Rangers fan and injuring 18
A 39-YEAR-OLD man died yesterday and 18 people were injured when a coach overturned while taking fans to a football match.
Three passengers were in a serious condition and 15 others needed hospital treatment after the vehicle’s brakes apparently failed.
The bus was taking Rangers fans to Glasgow for the match with Partick Thistle at Ibrox yesterday when it flipped onto its side next to the Crosshouse Roundabout on the A76 near Mauchline in Ayrshire.
One passenger described hearing the driver shout, ‘Oh no, the brakes...’ just before the crash.
A helicopter and five ambulances were called out and the road was closed in both directions as investigators examined the scene of the crash, which took place at 1.15pm.
The fan who died was named locally last night as 39-year-old Ryan Baird, originally from Larne in Northern Ireland but living in Sanquhar, Dumfriesshire.
His cousin, Louise Evanne Baird, wrote on social media he was ‘amazing’ and would be ‘sadly missed’.
His partner, Sarah Hughes, also paid tribute to him, saying he had loved the Ibrox club.
Last night, schoolboy Alistair Dickson of Tarbolton, who was on the bus, told how it had been going downhill towards the roundabout when he suddenly heard the driver say: ‘Oh no, the brakes...’
The 14-year-old added: ‘I feel really lucky to be alive. The driver did everything he could but there was nothing he could do.
‘The bus went over onto two wheels and the driver tried to get it back down onto four. But it tipped over. We were on the other side of the bus and got thrown down onto the people below us. The glass in the windows smashed and I managed to climb through and get out’
The teenager, who suffered whiplash injuries, said: ‘It was horrible. I feel like I’ve been really lucky compared to some of the others. There were people with blood on their heads from the glass. I heard someone talking to a man who was really bad, saying, “Stay with me”.’
The coach had driven up from Dumfriesshire, collecting fans from various towns and villages.
Billy McLeod, a member of Nith Valley RFC Rangers’ supporters group, said at least six of his friends had been trapped inside and one was airlifted to hospital.
Eye-witness Ryan Rowe, from Darvel, said: ‘One man I spoke to was just sitting down and in tears. He was shaking. He said the bus had swerved.
‘Another young man had cuts all over his arm and blood all the way down it. He was holding it in the air to try and stop the bleeding. Two or three windows on the bus had been smashed and paramedics were still trying to get people out.’
A young woman said: ‘There was a crowd of people trying to help and I saw people sitting at the side of the road who must have got free.’
James Douglas, of Kilmarnock, was stopped by a police roadblock before he could drive past the scene of the accident.
Mr Douglas, 48, said: ‘I couldn’t get any further so I left the car and took a shortcut across some fields. I ended up right at the scene. ’
The former Royal Navy medic added: ‘Firemen had put up a green tarpaulin at the back of the coach, which suggests casualties were still there. It looks as if it just toppled over while negotiating the roundabout since there was no other vehicle around that it could have crashed into. There wasn’t any damage to the side facing up or skid marks that I could see.
‘The emergency hatch was open and firefighters were propping up the bus with what looked like scaffolding poles to stop it toppling back on the road. It’s a terrible thing to happen. What an awful tragedy. I really feel for the families of the casualties.’
Rangers assistant manager David Weir said last night: ‘I’ve only just heard about it. Obviously, there are things more important than football.
‘Our thoughts are with the people involved, the families involved, and I’m sure the club will be very supportive in regards to anything they can do to help the situation.’
Drew Robertson, general secretary of the Rangers Supporters Association, said: ‘It was a shock to hear of this tragic accident and all our thoughts are with those involved and their families.
‘We didn’t find out until after the match. It is a reminder that football is only a game. It is a sad day for all Rangers fans. We are one big family, one big team.’
A statement released by Celtic said: ‘Everyone at Celtic sends our sincere condolences following the death of a supporter.’
Police said last night the injured included seven men under 20, as well as three men and three women aged between 30 and 59, plus five men over 60.
‘It was horrible. I feel lucky to be alive’