Colin Montgomerie 'lucky to have come out of road accident unscathed'

By John Kilbride

Colin Montgomerie says he was lucky to come out of a car accident in North Lanarkshire 'relatively unscathed.'

The accident involving Mr Montgomerie's BMW and a van happened at 11.25am on Thursday on a section of the A80 near Condorrat, between Moodiesburn and Cumbernauld. The road was closed in both directions as a result of the accident, but has now partially re-opened.

Mr Montgomerie received minor injuries and the van driver has been taken to Glasgow's Royal Infirmary as a precautionary measure.

Colin Montgomerie suffered shock and severe bruising to his left side after his BMW 7-series was struck by a transit van that swerved across the road into the path of his car.

Although an air ambulance was deployed, Monty felt it was unnecessary to go to hospital and received treatment at the roadside from the ambulance crew, before being taken back to his home in Perth.

Colin said: "I was driving through road works when a van travelling towards me suddenly burst through the cones and slammed into me. A fraction of a second later my car was hit by a lorry and another car as well and I began spinning out of control.

"I was trapped as the side of the car was compressed and the air bags were holding me back, but the passenger door suddenly opened and I was pulled to safety thanks to other drivers who had witnessed the accident. It was a terrible shock, and I am lucky to have come out of it relatively unscathed, thanks I am sure to the car I was driving."

The driver of the van has been charged with road traffic offences.

Montgomerie recently led the European team to victory at the Ryder Cup in Celtic Manor in Wales. He was on his way to a charity event in Inverness.

Montgomerie has pulled out of a charity event in Inverness tomorrow in the wake of the incident. He was meant to be launching a walk in aid of the Elizabeth Montgomerie Foundation, which he set up in memory of his mother after losing her to cancer.

Montgomerie and his family established the Elizabeth Montgomerie Foundation in 2007 to raise money for cancer and specifically, lung cancer patients in Scotland.

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