M&D's rollercoaster crash survivor credits wrestling with 'saving life'

A man who had to learn to walk again after surviving the 2016 M&D’s rollercoaster crash as a teenager has credited wrestling with saving his life.

Fraser Girvan was 16 when he stepped onto the Tsunami ride at the Motherwell theme park during a day out at the beginning of the summer holidays.

As the coaster took off, the front axle snapped and the five gondolas plunged to the ground below, injuring nine people, including children.

Fraser broke his arm and tore his quad in the crash, with the incident also having a significant impact on his mental health.

He told STV News: “It was a highly traumatic event already, but for this to happen when I was 16, it was tenfold. I spent the whole of summer bed bound and learning how to walk again.

Fraser Girvan was left with a broken arm and torn quad following the crash Supplied

“I was diagnosed with PTSD which led to me having depression in my later life.”

Following the incident, the amusement park was fined £65,000 after bosses pleaded guilty to health and safety breaches.

Victims of the theme park crash received £1.2m in damages from the park owners.

M&D’s reopened three weeks later, however, the Tsunami never operated again and was dismantled in February 2017.

Prior to the crash, Fraser had started training to become a wrestler, following in his brother Lewis’ footsteps. However, the incident halted his dream.

He explained: “I thought that was a sign that I wasn’t meant to do it.

“When the world shutdown with Covid, everyone started to self reflect. I thought that if I didn’t go back now, I never would.

“If I didn’t try it I would regret it. Going from not being able to walk to going out to wrestle weekly is a massive jump.”

Fraser wrestles alongside his brother Lewis Girvan. ICW

The wrestler, who has taken to the ring more than 60 times in the last three years, has become a mainstay on the Glasgow-based Insane Championship Wrestling roster

Fraser believes surviving a “near-death experience” has played a part in the way he takes to the squared circle in front of fans.

The 25-year-old added: “I don’t take anything for granted.

“Because the crash was a near death experience I know I’m not invincible, but I also realise that I’m not as fragile as I was before.

“You can see that in the way I wrestle, I have a devil may care attitude, because I know my body’s limits.”

The ICW star believes taking to the ring has helped him “silence the dark thoughts” caused by the rollercoaster crash.

Fraser believes wrestling has helped save his life in the years following the crash. ICW

Fraser said: “I genuinely don’t think I’d be here without wrestling.

“It has brought me up in some of my darkest moments. It has caused stress and strain, but without it I wouldn’t be here.”

The Renfrew athlete believes taking to the “land of giants” not only benefits his mental health but also helps those in the crowd escape their own worries.

He added: “You realise you are making a difference.

“Even if it seems as trivial as some people make wrestling out to be, you don’t realise how much it helps people in their own lives.”

Fraser is set to take to the ring again at The Pyramid in Anderston on April 24.

He will face fellow Asylum graduates Landon Riley and Jack Ripley in a triple threat match at ICW’s first Blockbuster Pro Wrestling event of 2026.

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