Family reveal their relief as ferry fall fan returns to UK

THE family of a Celtic fan who was left with serious injuries after falling from a ferry have spoken of their relief that he has been able to come back home to recover.

Sean Cantwell, from Livingston, suffered massive chest injuries after falling from the top deck of a ferry on his way to a match in France last month.

The 27-year-old was expected to remain in a French hospital for some time, but after undergoing facial reconstruction and heart surgery, he was deemed fit enough to be flown to a hospital back home.

His family have told how relieved they are to have him back in this country.

Mr Cantwell’s stepfather Tom McClune and mother Annette were by his bedside as he underwent life-saving surgery in France and stayed with him until they were able to bring him home last Thursday.

Mr McClune is reported as saying: “We got a call at 3am to tell us what had happened and we were on a flight to France by 6am.

““When we arrived we didn’t know if he was going to make it or not. He was in intensive care for 11 days and after that he was able to start talking a bit and could see other people who came to visit him.

“He’s been severely injured but thankfully he has not sustained any brain damage.

“We brought Sean back home on Thursday night.

“He is recovering from major surgery but he is mobile.”

Mr McClune added: “We’ve been very lucky. We’re amazed we’ve been able to get him back.”

The accident happened on an overnight ferry from Portsmouth on which Celtic supporters were travelling to last month’s Europa League match against Rennes.

Friends and fellow Celtic supporters launched a Facebook page, stating that Mr Cantwell’s family faced a bill of up to £20,000 to fly him home by air ambulance.

Mr McClune said: “We’ve had help from a lot of people and we are extremely grateful for that.

“The emergency services in France did a great job.

“Their reaction time must have been spectacular for him to survive the injuries he had.”