SPFL club express sadness as ex-Rangers player seriously injured in car crash

A Scottish Championship footballer has been ruled out for the rest of the season after being seriously injured in a car crash.

Hamilton Accies midfielder Ben Williamson, 23, was rushed to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary following the single-vehicle accident in Dunfermline on Sunday morning. The 26-year-old driver of the car has been arrested with an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash ongoing.

Accies have not released any details of the injuries suffered by Williamson, who joined the club from Rangers 12 months ago. The former Arbroath, Livingston, Raith Rovers, Dundee and Partick Thistle loan player was an unused substitute in Hamilton’s William Hill Championship victory over Airdrie on Saturday.

Hamilton's Ben Williamson has been injured in a car crash. (Photo by Ewan Bootman / SNS Group) | SNS Group

A Hamilton statement read: “We are immensely saddened by the news of the injuries sustained by our player Ben Williamson in a road traffic accident. At this time, we cannot comment on the circumstances of the accident, but we shall support Ben appropriately and he has our best wishes for a speedy recovery. Our thoughts are very much with him at this difficult time.”

Hamilton manager John Rankin has since revealed that the player will play no further back in his team’s Championship campaign.

Rankin told the Daily Record: “First and foremost, the most important thing is that he is alive, that’s what I would say. Football and what it means for the squad is irrelevant when one of our players has been in a severe accident.

“My job and the players’ jobs right now are to make sure we can be as supportive to him as possible and help him in the long run. I don’t think we will see Ben play again this season.

“Now we need to get around him and offer him the support he needs. They are a tight group and we will make sure that we go and spend time with him in the hospital. He needs us now more than ever to get him through a tough period.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Officers were called to Queensferry Road, Dunfermline after reports of a crash involving one vehicle at 6.25am on Sunday, 29 December, 2024. Both the driver and passenger were taken to hospital. The 26-year-old driver was arrested and enquiries into the incident are ongoing."

Williamson came through the youth ranks at Rangers although he never made a first-team appearance for the Ibrox club. His first taste of senior football came on loan at Arbroath in the Scottish Championship where he made 18 appearances, scoring one goal, during the 2020-21 season.

He then featured seven times for Livingston in the Premiership during a six-month loan spell at the start of the following season before joining Raith Rovers for the remainder of the campaign where he scored twice in 17 matches.

Loan spells at Dundee and Partick Thistle followed before he cut ties with Rangers to sign an 18 month contract with Hamilton in January, helping John Rankin’s side win promotion from League One via the play-offs last season. He has made 15 appearances this term.