A courageous victim of the M&D's rollercoaster crash has been praised by his rescuers for his 'unbelievable' bravery.

Celtic superfan Liam Boyle, 11, from Kings Park was one of the 10 people injured when the Tsunami ride at the Motherwell theme park malfunctioned on Sunday.

The terrifying ordeal started around 3.50pm, when a packed five-car train on the inverted rollercoaster came off the tracks and fell 30ft to the ground.

Liam and pal James, who were both in the same car, lay trapped between the mangled carriage not knowing what had happened.

Read more: M&D's rollercoaster crash: Theme park opens some attractions after horror crash

Former army medic Robert McCutcheon from the East End was one of the first people at Liam's side after the crash and said he was stunned by the 11-year-old's courage and concern for others.

Joining him seconds later was bystander Iain Holms, a social worker and former nurse who had been visiting M&D's with his wife and kids.

With their medical backgrounds the pair knew exactly what to do, helping to treat little Liam's injuries and put him at ease.

But the duo have shunned the limelight and insist the real hero was Liam himself who was more concerned about his friend than his own problems.

Robert, 31, who now works as a transport manager, said: "I was absolutely amazed at how Liam reacted - he was so calm and he even managed to crack a few jokes.

Read more: Law firm expects influx of calls from traumatised victims of M&Ds rollercoaster crash

"I have seen grown men in a battlefield who haven't been that composed.

"For an 11-year-old, he was absolutely incredible.

"Because he was so calm and cooperative it made things a lot easier.

"You get people in these situations who understandable try to get away, they try to move, they are screaming - but he didn't.

"He did absolutely everything that was asked of him. He was talking to us, he stayed as still as he could, he held it together very well.

"We were able to control the scene much easier."

When the accident first happened, Robert said a "trauma switch" from his army days kicked in and he immediately rushed over, trying to asses the situation.

"I had a quick check in the other carriages as soon as the [train] came off, and the worst affected person on my side that I could see was Liam so I just went to him.

Read more: M&Ds rollercoaster crash: Director says it is the "first incident of this type" in 50 years

"The first thing going through my head was that I couldn't see his hand, I thought it was gone but it was still attached.

"I was thinking of blood loss at that point, we tried to control that as much possible."

By his side shortly afterwards was Iain, 45 from Cumbernauld who had been at the park with his family.

At first he feared his own children may have been trapped in the wreckage, however when he realised they were safe he went in to help others.

He said: "Liam was fearful, his eyes were wide, he was ashen faced.

"I think by that time he saw his hand.

"There were a lot of screams around us, people were shocked around the whole area. There was an off-duty paramedic who was there with his two kids, he came in and helped as well.

"I went in to help Robert, and Liam was amazing. He's the bravest boy I've met in my whole life, without a doubt.

"He was asking us how we were, he thanked us throughout the whole thing.

"He kept saying 'Thanks for helping me', even though he had gone through so much and he was really worried about his friend too, how he was.

"He was even joking about football, he said he loved Celtic, and I said I did too.

"Robert came over and said he loved Rangers and he was laughing that there were these two guys from different teams looking after him.

"He said his favourite player was Patrick Roberts, and we were talking all about that and laughing about football which helped the situation too."

The youngster has now had to undergo two gruelling operations since Sunday after his hand was almost completely severed and his leg was badly broken.

Despite his injuries, he has still had time to thank the two men who helped him and even asked to chat to video chat with one of them from his hospital bed to say another thank you.

Ian added: " He asked to Facetime me in his hospital bed. I was all embarrassed and told him I didn't have FaceTime, but he just said thanks very much for looking after him.

"He's the bravest wee lad I've ever met, I just can't believe his courage."

Following the incident on Sunday, park owners decided to close the venue but yesterday announced it would be reopening some areas

Operators have taken the decision to open the indoor complex, including the soft play area, bowling and Amazonia.

The rides and theme park area is still closed while the Police and the Health and Safety Executive continue their investigation.

hannah.rodger@eveningtimes.co.uk