EXCLUSIVE Death threats, a few regrets... and my bid to replace Sir Alex with Souness: Former Rangers chairman SIR DAVID MURRAY reflects on a rollercoaster journey through life in his new autobiography
Sir David Murray recently revisited the spot where a tyre of his purple Lotus Elite blew, sending him smashing into a tree and lying unconscious next to the wreckage, his legs so mangled by an impact which forced the engine into the driver's seat that they would be amputated. The marks are still there at the base of the tree, nearly 50 years on, just as there are still purple shards of the car's bodywork embedded in his upper leg.
It struck him, for the first time, that he'd so nearly avoided that life-defining catastrophe, on an overcast Saturday afternoon on a dual carriageway in East Lothian, after playing in a rugby match in 1976.
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Telegraph
13 hours ago
- Telegraph
Must I supply bank statements to insurers after a car accident?
Dear Alex, A lady crashed into my car two weeks ago, after which her husband called to let me know that their insurer would be in touch. Ten minutes later, the phone rang – it was the 'accident claim line'. I presumed they had been instructed by the other party's insurers, so I signed the documents they sent. I now realise that this was actually a claims management company, called accidentally by the lady's husband. They wrote off my car and I asked them to pick up the hire car cost, but they are now asking for bank statements, which they say the third-party insurer requires. I don't feel comfortable sending these, but I'm worried that if I don't they will invalidate the agreement I signed and leave me liable for a big bill. What should I do? – VH Dear VH, Your experience highlights the importance of being certain of precisely who you are dealing with – as well as what paperwork one is signing. It sounds as though you have indeed engaged a claims management company by mistake. These companies operate by handling non-fault insurance claims on your behalf, as an alternative to your insurance company doing so. They say that their dedicated service often results in much faster resolutions for their customers. They also take care of all the arrangements for you – whereas some insurers require you to take action and then have the bill sent to them. That said, some claims management companies can be a bit sneaky in the way they get your business, setting up adverts on Google that pop up when you search for popular insurance companies' claims lines. The name of the company is often intentionally left off the website and, as in your case, they simply refer to themselves as an 'accident helpline' on the phone. Less diligent claimants have no idea they aren't dealing with their insurance company Once you have reported a claim to them, they send you a contract to sign, in which you undertake to let them handle the claim for you. Usually, at this point, their name is mentioned; that should be your first clue you aren't dealing directly with an insurer. In your defence, however, some insurance companies do farm out claims management to such companies, per your initial assumption, in which case you'd be presented with very similar paperwork. Usually, however, this is only offered as an option, so the important thing to do is to first make sure you've had contact from the insurance company rather than another party. Either way, once you have signed the contract you're tied in and have to see the process through unless you want to risk liability for the cost of the claim. Why do they want bank statements? Usually, you'll sign a credit hire agreement for the hire car. This document says that you are responsible for the cost of the hire fees, but that the claims management company will seek to claim back the cost of the hire car from the third party. Usually, that's what happens, but if you breach the agreement, the cost – which can run into thousands – will fall back on you. With these hire cars, the cost is charged to the third-party insurer at exceedingly high rates; that's where the profit margin lies for the claims management firms. Naturally, an insurer usually challenges the necessity of the hire car; the claims management firm then asks for your bank statements, to forward on as proof that you couldn't have afforded the hire car yourself. Unfortunately, I think the best thing you can do in your situation is to send the paperwork they're requesting, follow the process through to the end and chalk this one up to experience.
Scottish Sun
16 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
‘I still have shards in my leg', says ex-Rangers supremo Sir David Murray as he breaks 50-year silence on car crash hell
Sir David Murray is speaking in detail about the nightmare for the first time 'THE UNTOLD STORY' 'I still have shards in my leg', says ex-Rangers supremo Sir David Murray as he breaks 50-year silence on car crash hell SIR David Murray has revealed how he still has shards in his leg from the wreckage of the sports car that nearly killed him in a horror crash almost half a century ago. The ex-Rangers owner was just 24 when he had both legs amputated after the flash motor careered into a tree following a tyre blow-out in 1976. Advertisement 10 Sir David Murray has broken his decades long silence on his horror car crash 10 Ex-Rangers owner pictured with then-manager Walter Smith Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd 10 Sir David Murray shared the details in his new book, Mettle Despite the horrific accident, he refused to let the ordeal define him and went on to become a towering figure in Scottish society through his metals business and Ibrox tenure. But everything could have been very different had medics not been able to save his life after he crashed near Longniddry, East Lothian, while driving home in his purple Lotus Elite after playing rugby. Speaking in detail about the nightmare for the first time in new book Mettle: Tragedy, Courage & Titles , he said: 'As I made my way along a dual carriageway, the front left tyre just blew. 'There was nothing I could have done. Advertisement 'The car lurched to the side, I left the road and smashed headlong into a tree. 'Memories of the exact moment are hazy. 'The vehicle was made of fibreglass and the impact forced the engine block right through the facia and into the driver and passenger seat. 'I was immediately shunted right through the door and lay unconscious and bleeding next to the wreckage. Advertisement 'A number of rugby supporters who had actually been at the game stopped their cars and raced to my side. 'There was lots of blood and they applied tourniquets with their ties to try to halt the flow. 'They somehow kept me alive and even though I can remember nothing about it, an ambulance was called and arrived quickly to take me 18 miles to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.' 10 A newspaper clipping from the time of Sir David's horror crash Advertisement 10 Sir David had his legs amputated following the crash Credit: Times Newspapers Ltd 10 The ex-Rangers supremo was able to phone his late wife Louise to tell her he was 'in a bad way' Despite his life hanging in the balance, Sir David was able to phone his late wife Louise from a payphone while on a hospital trolley and said 'you have to come. I'm in a bad way.' Incredibly, he lost 13 pints of blood on the first evening and medics immediately amputated parts of his 'mangled' legs through the knees. Advertisement Tragically, he then caught an infection which forced the docs to take off even more of his shattered limbs. He said: 'Louise, my family and friends took turns to sit by my bedside during the following days as I struggled to recover. 'The anaesthetist Ned Trench and a surgeon fought to give me a better chance of a partial recovery, but five days after the accident they were finally defeated after an infection set in. 'I ended up having a further nine inches of my legs removed.' Advertisement SIR DAVID MURRAY: A TIMELINE 1951 - Born in Ayr 1974 - Founds Murray International Metals aged 23 1976 - Loses both legs in a car crash 1984 - Awarded Young Scottish Businessman of the Year 1988 - Buys Rangers FC for £6million 1989 - Rangers win the first of a record-equalling nine successive league titles and buy first high profile Catholic, Maurice Johnston, for £1.5m from under the noses of Celtic. 1991: Walter Smith succeeds Graeme Souness as manager. 1992 - Wife Louise - mum of their two sons - dies after a cancer battle. 1993: Rangers sign Duncan Ferguson for a record transfer fee between British clubs of £4million. 1995: Paul Gascoigne signs for a club record £4.3m. 1998: Dick Advocaat is appointed manager and club break their transfer record three times that summer by signing Arthur Numan (£4.5m), Giovanni van Bronckhorst (£5m) and Andrei Kanchelskis (£5.5m). Murray declares that for 'every £5 Celtic spend, we will spend £10.' 2000: Rangers smash transfer record by signing Tore Andre Flo from Chelsea for £12m. 2001: Murray Park is opened at a cost of £14m. 2007 - Knighted for services to business 2009 - Sir David steps down as Rangers chairman and as a member of the board, with the club having won 15 titles and 21 cups during his tenure May 2011 - He sells his controlling interest in Rangers for £1 to Wavetower Limited, owned by businessman Craig Whyte. Incredibly, Sir David said he still has some of the purple bodywork from his Lotus embedded in his upper limb - and the tree that took the brunt of the crash also still has the marks almost 50 years on. He said: 'How that tree is still standing I don't know, but remarkably it is. I recently stopped at the same spot again and nearly 50 years after the accident, there are still marks on the base of the tree. 'Equally amazingly, there are also still purple shards of the car's bodywork embedded in my upper leg. 'Revisiting the scene much, much later, I realised that just a few yards before the tree and a few yards after it, there was nothing but open fields.' Advertisement After he was stabilised, Sir David - who was once estimated to have a £500m fortune - was transferred to the Princess Margaret Rose Hospital in Edinburgh for ten weeks of intensive care. The budding entrepreneur was left pondering his future over and over again - but his inner steel drove him towards recovery and, ultimately, huge success. And he now uses his experiences to offer advice to others at their lowest ebb. 10 Under Sir David's stewardship, the Ibrox side saw a period of unparalleled success Advertisement 10 Sir David saw a period of great success along with manager Graeme Souness Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd He said: 'I must have spent days and hours wondering how I might cope with the rest of my life. 'I was still a young man, with a wife and young family and I was passionate about business and playing sports.' 'In life, I never try to look back. Advertisement 'We all have decisions to make – some of them big, reflective moments – and I am a great believer in the fact that you either turn left or you turn right. 'If anyone I know is ever in trouble or facing adversity, I always tell them that every problem has a solution and to always look ahead. 'Be decisive. Stay positive. I had no intention of quitting.' Sir David, 73, became a millionaire with company Murray International Metals and purchased Rangers for £6million in 1988. Advertisement INSPIRATIONAL LETTER AN inspirational letter from hero World War II pilot Sir Douglas Bader helped in the ex-Rangers chief's remarkable recovery from his double amputation hell. Sir Douglas wrote to the then 24-year-old Sir David as he faced up to a lifetime without his limbs following the horror crash in 1976. He still treasures the note sent to him out of the blue nearly 50 years ago and has it framed in his home. Bader was a highly decorated flyer during WW2 despite losing his legs during aerobatics in 1931. The letter read: ''I gather that you have got hold of the problem and decided to get on with life which is the only thing to do. 'Well done. 'That is the only attitude of mind to adopt. 'I just wanted to write to you and tell you how much I admire your courage and to wish you well.' Sir David added: 'I would later telephone the number he had left at the top of his letter to thank him for his encouragement and tell him exactly what it meant to me… and still does. 'Almost two months earlier, I had what Douglas Bader might enthusiastically have described as a rather miraculous escape. It was certainly life-changing.' Under his stewardship, the club embarked on a period of unparalleled success with iconic managers Graeme Souness and Walter Smith - and fan favourites Paul Gascoigne and Brian Laudrup. He was also instrumental in the club smashing their sectarian signing policy by buying their first high profile Catholic player Mo Johnston from under Celtic's noses in 1989. Sir David faced further tragedy in his personal life when beloved first wife Louise - mum to their sons David and Keith - died from cancer in 1992. Dad Ian was also locked up for a spell before dying at 50. Advertisement 10 Sir David pictured with Richard Brandson 10 Sir David pictured with his mum, second wife Kae Tinto and son after being knighted by the Queen in 2007 Credit: Andrew Barr - The Sun Glasgow He split from second wife Kae Tinto in 2018 after seven years of marriage and is now understood to split his time between Perthshire and France, where he owns vineyards. He remains the chairman of Murray Capital Group and his sons play key roles in the running of the business. Advertisement - Mettle: Tragedy, Courage & Titles by Sir David Murray, is on sale Thursday July 3 from Amazon and all good bookshops. Preorder on Amazon here. Sir David is donating his royalties to Erskine Hospital.
Daily Mail
19 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Death threats, a few regrets... and my bid to replace Sir Alex with Souness: Former Rangers chairman SIR DAVID MURRAY reflects on a rollercoaster journey through life in his new autobiography
Sir David Murray recently revisited the spot where a tyre of his purple Lotus Elite blew, sending him smashing into a tree and lying unconscious next to the wreckage, his legs so mangled by an impact which forced the engine into the driver's seat that they would be amputated. The marks are still there at the base of the tree, nearly 50 years on, just as there are still purple shards of the car's bodywork embedded in his upper leg. It struck him, for the first time, that he'd so nearly avoided that life-defining catastrophe, on an overcast Saturday afternoon on a dual carriageway in East Lothian, after playing in a rugby match in 1976.
