Ben Crossley, left, pictured in the stands at the Northern Ireland v Ukraine match in Lyon on June 16

A FUNDRAISING campaign has been set up to support a Northern Ireland fan seriously injured in France.

Ben Crossley from Belfast remains in hospital in Lyon after falling from a three storey building on June 17.

As a result he sustained multiple fractures to his face including his jaw, nose, cheek bones and eye sockets as well as shattering his knee and spraining his ankle.

Successful surgery has since been carried out on facial reconstruction and his knee, but now the former Lagan College pupil faces a long road back to recovery.

The Northern Ireland fan had been in France following the team in the Euros and was in Lyon to see the team defeat Ukraine 2-0.

In the wake of the accident friends of the former Sheffield Hallam University student launched a gofundme page to help with medical expenses, expected to come to thousands of pounds.

On the page, launched yesterday, it said funds would help with the financial implications of the medical bills he faces adding that Ben is "very lucky not be paralysed in any way and is even luckier to be alive".

Writing on Facebook Ben Crossley, who before his accident had been working as a football coach in America, said he was "very lucky to be alive" and was focusing on his recovery.

Two Northern Ireland fans tragically lost their lives whilst out supporting the team in France.

Ballymena man Darren Rodgers (24) died on June 13 when he toppled 26ft over a barrier from a promenade in Nice and Robert 'Archie' Rainey from Belfast suffered a suspected heart-attack during the Northern Ireland v Ukraine match in Lyon on Thursday June 16.

To donate towards Ben Crossley's medical expenses visit the gofundme page at www.gofundme.com/fundforBen