DJ tells of crash nightmare months after friend's death

A YOUNG DJ has told how he was seriously hurt in a car smash just months after seeing a friend killed in a holiday road accident.

David Boyle is recovering after narrowly escaping death in the crash, which happened while he was out on a first date.

The 18-year-old from Edinburgh was still grieving over the death seven months ago of close friend James Waddell.

James, who was also 18, died in Greece when he fell off a quad bike and was hit by a taxi.

David helped raise money to bring his friend's body home after it emerged insurers would not pay up.

David, who spent over a week recovering in hospital, said he thought that he was going to die in the crash.

He said: "I kept having flashbacks from the car the day after it happened. I was knocked unconscious so I don't remember much.

When he woke up in hospital and was told about the extent of the accident, his first thought was for his girlfriend.

The smash happened on the city's Lanark Road in the early hours of January 30, while David was driving home to Currie with a 21-year-old woman.

The silver Peugot 307 collided with a lamppost.

David suffered serious abdominal injuries while his girlfriend sustained facial injuries.

His father, Derek, said his son would probably need counselling to get over the double ordeal. "He is getting flashbacks," he said. "Every time he starts thinking about it he starts crying."

Mr Boyle added that police were still trying to work out how the car came off the road. "He thought he was going to die when he arrived at the hospital. It's a massive shock," he said.

David is a popular DJ in Edinburgh's clubs. He regularly DJs at The Lane and appeared at the top of the bill for the club night TvH, Trance versus House, earlier this year.

A police spokesman said: "We are appealing to anyone who may have been in the area in the early hours of Sunday morning, and who may have seen the silver Peugeot prior to the collision, to get in touch with police."