A GREENOCK man narrowly avoided being caught up in the Glasgow bin lorry tragedy which killed six people — and says the horrific scenes in the aftermath will haunt him forever.

Danny Murray, inset, was on his way to an appointment in George Square, next to where the vehicle careered into a hotel, and was left stunned by what he witnessed when he turned the corner.

The 48-year-old went from seeing happy families out shopping and enjoying the festive atmosphere to looking at a harrowing scene of bodies lying on the ground after the horrific Queen Street accident, which happened at 2.30pm on Monday.

He told the Telegraph that he missed the carnage by a matter of minutes after his car navigation system took him the wrong way en route to his meeting.

Danny knows the delay could well have saved his life.

He said: “I arrived at 2.45pm — I’m just lucky my satnav didn’t come up with the West George Street side or I would’ve been there when it was happening.

“That probably saved me from getting injured.” Danny says the experience has had a profound impact on him, so much so that he has decided not to celebrate Christmas this year.

He said: “It was unbelievable — I started shaking when walking down the road.

“It was like a bomb scene, I saw blood all up the street — I thought there had been an attack.

“I’m still shaken up about it.

“To see a normal Christmas rush of people shopping and then to see people crying and someone on the ground — I turned the corner and all of a sudden it was mayhem.

“At first I saw an older woman with a pram and her husband holding a child and she was openly crying in the street.

“I thought she must have been notified of a death or something. But then about 10 yards up the road there was a body lying and people around it.

“There was blue towel roll and people were pulling out yards of the stuff, crumpling it into balls and holding it onto the person’s head — but blood was just pooling.

“There was nothing I could do and I didn’t want to hang around and be a ghoul, so to speak.

“I walked on and — to be completely honest — my first thought was there were two bodies lying there.

“Then I knew something serious had happened here. I felt quite callous because I couldn’t help — you’re natural instinct is to help.

“It’s something I will never forget. I won’t be celebrating Christmas because it’s had such an impact on me. It puts life in perspective.” Police yesterday confirmed the six dead included five females and one male.

Several more people — including the driver of the bin lorry — were taken to hospital for treatment, with two in intensive care.

Danny is thankful not to have been there when it happened but expressed sympathy to those who were, and especially those who have lost loved ones.

He said: “My heart goes out to every person who seen it and the people involved.

“People couldn’t cope with what they had seen.I caught the aftermath but that was bad enough.

“I hope I never experience anything like it again.” Former Greenock minister Reverend Bill Hewitt led the city of Glasgow in its grief yesterday during a service of remembrance for vicitms of the crash, held at St George’s Tron Church.

The respected clergyman served as minister in St Luke’s and then Greenock Westburn for 18 years.

Speaking at the church, which is near to the spot where six people lost their lives, Rev Hewitt talked of ‘the pain of the city’.

He added: “We understand something of the burden carried by those who have lost loved ones, who are concerned for those in hospital, for emergency workers who have been on the frontline in meeting human need and offering themselves.” Meanwhile the former head of the Catholic church in Inverclyde, Archbishop of Glasgow Philip Tartaglia, led a mass in memory of the victims in St Andrew’s.

Inverclyde Council flew its flag at half mast at the Municipal Buildings yesterday as a mark of respect to those affected by the lorry crash.