Dalglish’s then 12-year-old son Paul was among the fans who spilled onto the pitch after the 1989 FA Cup semifinal between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest was stopped.
As the tragedy which claimed 96 lives unfolded in front of him the Liverpool boss was frantic with worry.
He desperately went to look for him and to his great relief saw him walking towards him across the pitch.
In his 2010 autobiography Dalglish, 63, told how his “heart leapt” when he saw him and he greeted him with a “huge hug”.
“Thank you, God,” he said. “I was lucky and Paul was lucky – all around us people were dying.
"Thank God they’d passed through Leppings Lane before the central pens began trapping fans.”
Dalglish revealed he had never spoken to Paul about the disaster because the “emotion is too raw”.
"I just can’t imagine how I’d have coped if my son had died, so I try to block out the awful thought,” he added.
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Paul, now 37, himself went on to become a professional footballer playing for Newcastle United, Wigan, Norwichand Blackpool and is now assistant coach at US Major League Soccer club Real Salt Lake.
Dalglish told yesterday’s inquest he remembered the referee stopping the match after six minutes and returning with his players to their dressing room.
He said: “I think the police had spoken to the referee to get the players off the pitch.
"I don’t think anyone understood what was happening.
“We were told there were fatalities.
"We weren't told what the cause was.
"Stories were coming from every angle.”
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Dalglish was giving evidence at the final session of the inquests in Warrington, Cheshire, before Christmas.
The hearings will resume in the New Year.