He had been enjoying a day at the bowling club in Fairlie, Ayrshire, when he decided to nip to the shops for lunch.
Graham remembers getting back off the bus at the bowling club with his shopping and then – nothing.
He woke up the following day in Inverclyde Hospital with his leg in traction and his head a mass of cuts, bruises and swelling.
He didn’t feel or look lucky, but he soon realised that fortune had been on his side.
“The doctors had told my parents there was a high chance of brain damage,” said Graham, who now lives in Hampshire
“They warned I might need to be transferred to the Southern General in Glasgow, where they deal with head injuries.
“But as I keep telling my friends down here, the only sign of brain damage I have is that I decided to live in England!”
Graham was 22 when he was struck by a car on June 30, 1990.
He can’t remember being hit by the Volvo and has only managed to piece other parts of the incident together from what he’s been told by witnesses.
“The road traffic cop said the car was going at 38mph. Not that fast but it was a big vehicle, a six-seater,” said Graham, who selects books for university libraries for a living.
“One of the boys at the club said he saw me fly through the air.
“I smashed the windscreen stanchion with my head.
“I know it was a miserable day, it was overcast and drizzly. Maybe I just didn’t see the black car coming…”
His parents lived just one street along from the bowling club, so they were quickly at the scene where paramedics were working on him.
Graham required 21 stitches to the back of his head and his left leg was in smithereens, his shin destroyed.
“I spent seven months in plaster.
“I remember watching the World Cup Final in hospital and I spent a lot of time in the weeks that followed just sitting on the couch watching telly.
“After five months I was allowed back to work.
“I’m a bit short on one leg now and I also have tramline scars on my head.
“They make my head look like a tennis ball when I cut my hair short, but I know I’m lucky.
“I look at this past quarter century as my bonus years.”
Wishing to mark the anniversary, Graham decided to do something to help others.
“I do an awful lot of walking these days – the orthopaedic surgeon said I could no longer do high-impact activities including jogging.
“So I decided to walk The Great South Run to raise money for Headway.
“While I never had to use the charity I know other people who have benefited from their support, so it seemed a good idea.”
Graham completed the 10-mile route between Portsmouth and Southsea in just over two and a half hours and has so far raised more than £1000.
“I’m thankful I’m still here,” Graham added.
“Like the old saying goes, I’m just glad I didn’t wake up dead.”
To donate to Graham’s fundraising page, go to uk.virginmoneygiving.com/graham_hastie
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