Colombian soccer coach Francisco Maturana escaped serious injury when his car crashed late Sunday in the northern city of Medellin, local media reported Monday.

Maturana, who coached Colombian and other national teams to major tournaments, crashed into another vehicle, but suffered only minor injuries.

"The accident taught me many lessons. I was going to overtake and lost control of the car," explained Maturana.

"Wearing a seatbelt is important. Luckily it was a day off (Sunday), imagine if it had been a regular day! I would have crashed into all the cars, like in the movies," Maturana said, according to El Colombiano daily's website.

Maturana was admitted into a hospital in Medellin for routine tests.

"I spent the night at the hospital, doctors who are friends, classmates from university, examined me, took a tomography, and fortunately there is nothing serious. Just the sprain these incidents can cause," he said.

"What can we learn from the things that happen to us? Sometimes speed is not a good companion. One needs to pay attention when driving (and) wear a seatbelt. If I hadn't done those things, the damage would have been great. We shouldn't worry about arriving so fast," he said.

Maturana, 64, led the teams Atletico de Madrid (Spain), Colon de Santa Fe, Gimnasia and Esgrima (Argentina), as well as Colombia's Once Caldas, Atletico Nacional, America de Cali and Millonarios, among others, not to mention the national soccer teams of Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Peru and Trinidad and Tobago. Endit

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