The dad of a young Celtic fan killed on a motorway after he boarded the wrong bus home has vowed to investigate his son's death in a bid for answers. John Burns, 22, was hit by multiple vehicles on the M6 near Carlisle in a fatal collision on September 14 last year. He was reportedly dropped off in the town after boarding the wrong bus. Father-of-one John, 22, had attended Celtic's Scottish Premiership game against Hearts, but alighted from the bus 100 miles from his home in Newton Mearns, Glasgow.
But his grieving father James, 48, is still trying to find out what happened to his boy - and is determined to get to the truth. "My son would be alive today if he didn't get on that supporters bus. It is a living nightmare. I've been left to think of my boy dying alone on the motorway and still we don't know how he ended up there," he told the Daily Record.
"John's partner Rachel and their two-year-old son Reggie were waiting for him. It makes no sense. We don't know if he spoke to someone at the game who encouraged him to get on the bus - or get off.". The family say they are unable to grieve as they face a long wait for an inquest into the death. It can only take place after a fatal accident inquiry is complete - for which no dates have been set.
At a hearing into an inquest in October last year, assistant coroner for Cumbria, Dr Nicholas Shaw, said: "The brief circumstances are that he was struck by probably a number of vehicles whilst a pedestrian on the motorway. It is not yet known how this came to be, but there will obviously be a full accident investigation. When that's complete we will resume the inquest and full details will enter the public domain.".
