FOOTBALL legend Paul Gascoigne admitted he was lucky to be alive yesterday after a car crash.

As police continued their investigation into the accident, the former Newcastle United and England idol told how he avoided serious injury when his BMW X5 smashed into a truck.

His £35,000 car crashed into a parked supermarket delivery truck after he swerved to avoid an on-coming vehicle near Gateshead on Thursday afternoon.

Reliving the ordeal yesterday, Gazza said: "If it wasn't for the airbag in my car I'd be a goner - I wouldn't be here now.

"I wasn't going fast but I had to swerve out of the way of a van and I hit the back of the truck.

"The next thing, the airbag went off in my face. It saved my life.

"The car is a write-off and now I've got to wait a week for a new one."

Gazza talked to Century FM's Paul "Goffy" Gough yesterday, before going to best friend Jimmy "Five Bellies" Gardner's home in Dunston, near Gateshead.

He told Goffy: "I'm feeling okay. I'm still getting a few flashbacks but that is apparently normal.

"When it happened I jumped straight out of the car because I was in shock.

"I also wanted to get the registration of the van but it shot off before I could get it, which I'm not happy about.

"It was very close and I could have been killed. You can replace a car but you can't replace Paul Gascoigne."

The 36-year-old was walking with a limp and had two fingers on his right hand bandaged yesterday.

Police said they were continuing to investigate the accident, which occurred in Wellington Road, Dunston, just after 3.45pm.

Gazza was breath-tested at the scene of the smash and the result was negative.