A SOCCER fan plunged to his death from a 60mph coach when he opened the emergency exit thinking it was the door to the LOO.
Danny McFarlane, 22, plummeted head-first on to a motorway — and was then hit by an overtaking car.
The hired coach carrying 40 Manchester United supporters screeched to a halt on the hard shoulder of the M5 as a doctor who saw the horror also pulled over.
The medic battled to save the fan but Danny died in the road from multiple injuries.
Last night his shattered mum Carol — a widow — was being comforted by friends in Newport, South Wales.
Devastated
Danny — her only child — was described as “her life”.
The coach had set out from Newport on Saturday morning and was on its way back after United’s 1-0 victory over Everton at Old Trafford.
Jubilant fans were drinking and singing when carpenter Danny, nicknamed “Blue Eyes”, got up to spend a penny in the on-board toilet.
A fellow fan said: “There were high spirits and a lot of drinkers on the coach, which may explain how the tragedy happened.”
Danny’s devastated aunt Diane Lane said: “He was just a beautiful boy in every way — looks and personality. He had the brightest blue eyes and that’s what people called him.
“He was always cracking jokes and had one of those laughs that set other people off. His mother loved him so much. He was her only child and her life.”
Dumbstruck
Danny — whose dad Frankie died six years ago — was a lifelong United fan.
Scene ... Danny McFarlane fell on to the M5
Scene ... Danny McFarlane fell on to the M5
His pals, who had planned to continue celebrating in a pub once they got home, later continued their journey — some sobbing, others in “dumbstruck silence.”
Tributes poured in to an internet site set up in Danny’s memory on Facebook.
The M5 was shut for six hours after the tragedy close to Junction 1 at West Bromwich, West Midlands.
An ambulance spokesman said: “Crews found a man on the motorway with multiple injuries who was being cared for by an off-duty doctor.
“Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of ambulance staff, nothing could be done to save the man. He was confirmed dead at the scene.”
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