John Hartson ‘feared he was going to die’ in 25mph golf cart crash which left ex-West Ham and Arsenal ace with 48 stitches in head
The Celtic legend was told by doctors he would need plastic surgery after his buggy crashed into a tree
JOHN HARTSON required 48 stitches in his head and almost lost an eye after his golf buggy crashed into a tree at 25mph near his home.
The former Arsenal and West Ham striker "feared he was going to die" after the driver pressed the accelerator instead of the break when the cart was going downhill.
According to the , Hartson, 43, was even told by doctors he would need plastic surgery following the accident in Peebles, Scotland.
But that didn't stop the Celtic legend attending an amateur football club sportsman’s dinner with his head bandaged.
A source at the event in Kincardineshire said: "Everyone was shocked when John appeared bandaged-up.
“He has 48 stitches from the front right to the back of his head. John said they were going down a hill and ploughed into the tree at about 25 miles and hour.
"He said he could have been dead and instead of being at the event, his kids could have been burying him.
"He is a cracking bloke. It’s amazing he didn’t call off. But he said, ‘I’m injured, I’m not ill.'"
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While Cowie Thistle treasurer Neil Cursiter added: "He said the golf buggy was going downhill and the person driving hit the accelerator instead of the brake and they hit a tree.
"He told us it was close to him losing an eye. He explained that he had been rushed into theatre and there was blood everywhere. The surgeons told him he would need plastic surgery.
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“He had clearly been in the wars so it is a credit to John that he turned up at our event.”
While Hartson himself refused to comment on the incident, as he said: "I don’t want to go into it all right now."
Hartson, who is now a pundit for BT Sport, netted 14 times in 51 caps for Wales.
He underwent brain surgery for cancer in 2009, where he ultimately set up The John Hartson Foundation to help others.