Dad lucky to be alive after car ploughs into tree during 100mph race

Daily Record

05-07-2025

Michael Moates has told of his miracle escape from a 100mph smash in which he narrowly escaped death during a major rally event.
A rally driver dad is lucky to be alive after his car ploughed into a tree during a 100mph race.
Michael Moates has told of his miracle escape from the horror crash in which he narrowly escaped death during a major rally event.
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The co-driver was left hanging upside down and in agony seconds after his vehicle careered off the track, spun and flipped before hitting the tree.
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The 24-year-old, from Aberdeen, suffered a broken back and collar bone, but said a last second spin of the car prevented what would have been a fatal head-on collision. The other driver, Justin Gunning, walked away unscathed.
The shocking accident unfolded during the Argyll Rally which saw cars race through Dunoon town centre on Friday, June 20.
Emergency services rushed to the track near Ardtaraig around 10 miles from Dunoon.
Remarkably the duo avoided a fireball disaster with the fuel tank and engine left intact.
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Dad-of-two, Michael told the Record: 'I'm very lucky to still be here. If the car hadn't spun we would have hit the tree head on and I don't either of us would have survived.
'I was knocked unconscious by the force. When I came to, I could feel that I was being crushed. My seat had been compressed and the back of the car had come down on us.
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'The force had also snapped my seat in two.
'I just said to myself 'it's not my time'. All I could think about was getting out of the car. I knew I needed urgent help.
Brave spectators ran over to haul Michael from the mangled Renault Clio
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Paramedics quickly arrived with an air ambulance sent to the scene. Michael was whisked to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow where he was sent to the major trauma unit.
He said: 'It was like something out of a TV show, but I was in the middle of it.
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'I remember landing and the paramedic told me there was about to be a lot of commotion around me.
'I couldn't believe it when I went into the trauma centr e. There were doctors and nurses everywhere.
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'I was just in shock at that point. I never thought doing the sport I love would end up like this.'
Scans revealed that Michael had shattered two vertebrates in his back and broken his collar bone.
Incredibly, he suffered no internal bleeding as a result of the horrendous accident which he puts down to the enhanced safety measures of the rally cars.
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He was given emergency surgery to fit metal plates in his back with doctors fearing he'd spend months in hospital.
However, Michael was taking his first steps just three days after surgery and was transferred to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary on Friday, June 27.
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On Wednesday July 2, Michael returned home to partner Kirsty and their two sons Oscar-James, 2, and Noah-Flynn, 4.
He shared a moving video of the moment he walked out from the hospital to his car supported by a back brace and using crutches.
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He said: 'The speed of my recovery has been nothing short of a miracle.
"I was warned I could be in the hospital for months. I started properly walking again just a week after the crash. That was an emotional moment for me. I was just so determined to get home."
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'I was in a critical condition 12 days ago, so to be able to walk out of the hospital is amazing. I was in tears. It was a really emotional moment for me.
'I shouldn't have been able to come home but I did. I think someone was watching over me that day."
He added: 'All the team of doctors, surgeons and nurses were incredible. I can't thank everyone enough, from the on-site medics, air ambulance crew and spectators who helped.
'Everyone has just shown so much support and I'll never forget it.'