Fundraiser launched for Scotland fan who broke back in head-on crash in Germany

The GoFundMe page has been set up for Gary Ellis who had travelled to Germany to back Steve Clarke’s men with four pals last Thursday.

The Dundee man, 23, was a passenger in a rental Citreon C3 which collided head-on with an S-class Mercedes just outside Weeze Airport just after midnight.

He remains in hospital alongside the 25-year-old driver of the car, who also has serious injuries.

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

Four ambulances were called to the scene in the early hours of Friday.

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Close friend Graham Pert has set up a GoFundMe to raise £10,000 to cover the Scotsman’s medical bills and pay towards his transport home.

The fundraiser reads: “Gary was travelling to Germany to watch Scotland with a group of mates when they were involved in a head-on collision after landing in Germany. Gary’s injuries have resulted in him having a broken back and currently in hospital in Germany where they are waiting to see what is the best way to treat him and for getting him back home.

“All funds will go to help take the stress off Gary’s family and his girlfriend Kiera along with helping Gary on his recovery when he lands back on home land as recovery for him may take some time.”

Responding to messages from kind-well wishers from his hospital bed, Gary said: “Thanks everyone for all the messages and Graham for setting this up for me and my family. Hopefully I will get back to Dundee soon.”

Three other Scots, all 23, who were passengers in the rental car suffered minor injuries.

The driver of the Mercedes, a 45-year-old German national, also suffered minor injuries.

A German police spokesperson said: “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 travelled 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.

They added: “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.”

You can donate to the cause here.