ONE of the survivors of the Christmas bin lorry crash in Glasgow's George Square has spoken for the first time about the tragedy.

 

Marie Weatherall, 64, was doing last-minute Christmas shopping when she was one of the first people struck by the out-of-control vehicle as it ploughed onto the pavement and through a crowd of pedestrians, six of whom were killed in the crash.

Mrs Weatherall suffered a broken left arm and leg in the incident, and was knocked unconscious, but is now recovering in hospital after spending five days in intensive care.

She said she could not remember anything of the crash itself or events prior to her waking up in hospital.

"It is terrifying to think that one minute I was out shopping and the next thing I knew I was in intensive care," she said.

She praised passers-by, first aiders and emergency service workers who had assisted the injured as well a the doctors and nurses who have treated her in Glasgow's Royal Infirmary.

"While I am grateful for the amazing treatment I have had, my heart breaks for the families of those who lost their lives," she added. "I can't remember anything about what happened. I'm just lucky to be alive."

Mrs Weatherall, who moved to Glasgow from Ipswich four years ago to live near her daughter, was a volunteer at the Commonwealth Games in the summer. She said: "The slogan 'People Make Glasgow' is absolutely true, and that's why I love living here. All the hospital staff have cheered me up so much and this has made me so much better."

Her brother John, 61, an auctioneer from London, said she knew she had been lucky. "To begin with she couldn't remember what happened. She remembers being in the area. The lorry seems to have hit her on the left side. I don't know what angle she was at but it sounds like the next person who was hit about five feet away was killed. Marie could have been at this angle or that angle and that could be the difference between life and death.

"There are so many questions still to be answered. But, no matter what happened and why, the most important thing for us is that Marie is alive," Mr Weatherall said.

Four people injured in the crash remain in hospital, including a 57 year old man, believed to have been driving the bin lorry at the time of the incident, who was accompanied by two other crew members.

Glasgow City Council confirmed yesterday that it will not be releasing the names of its employees who were aboard the lorry for the duration of its catastrophic out-of-control journey which ended when it careered into the city's Millennium Hotel.

A spokesman said: "We will not be releasing their names. As far as we are concerned they will never be named."

However he declined to confirm or deny that emergency sessions had been held on theTuesday morning the day after the crash to train bin lorry crews on how to stop similar vehicles. It was reported yesterday that the training, at depots across Glasgow, was called to alert non-driving staff to the location and use of a dashboard-mounted handbrake that could have stopped the bin lorry.

The council spokesman said: "There is an on-going Police Scotland investigation into the crash. As such it wouldn't be appropriate for us to comment."

A spokeswoman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde confirmed last night that the three injured women still being treated at Glasgow Royal Infirmary remain in hospital and the condition of all three, a 14 year old schoolgirl, an 18 year old and a 64 year old woman is described as stable. The 57 year old man being treated at the city's Western Infirmary is also described as being in a stable condition.