British Woman's Leg Is severed After Being Run Over By A New York Taxi | PHOTO
https://nigeriaafrica1.blogspot.com/2013/08/british-woman-leg-is-severed-after.html
A young British tourist has had one of her legs severed after being run over by a taxi on a New York pavement.
The 23-year-old woman, named locally as Sian Green, was undergoing surgery to save her other leg following the accident near the Rockefeller Centre on Sixth Avenue, in midtown Manhattan.
She was visiting New York from England with a friend, with whom she was walking and eating hot-dogs as the taxi struck. The driver was said to have claimed he swerved to avoid a cyclist.
Dozens of passersby promptly came to the woman's aid including Mohamed Elsayed, a 34-year-old food seller on the same square, who rushed over with a cooler full of ice with which to pack the woman's severed left leg.
"It was a terrible scene," he told reporters. "She was thrown into the bushes. She was screaming. Most of her leg was just there on the sidewalk, underneath the cab. We did all we could to help".
Fathy Mosad, a 22-year-old hot-dog seller, said minutes earlier he had served the two women hot-dogs with ketchup and mustard. "They were beautiful girls, smiling and so happy to be in New York," he said. "It's crazy what happened next".
The woman was also assisted by Dr Mehmet Oz, a well-known American television medic, who happened to be in the area.
Max Crespo, a pizza restaurateur who was passing with his girlfriend, the supermodel Heide Lindgren, also rushed to the victim's side and performed first aid. "We were telling her 'everything is going to be OK'," he said. "I think my boyfriend might be Superman," Lindgren said on Twitter.
However onlookers hailed as the day's hero Dave Justino, a 44-year-old plumber working on a nearby pharmacy, who removed his belt and used it as a tourniquet to staunch the bleeding from the victim's right leg, which was said to have almost been severed.
"David Justino took action," Dr Oz said later on his Facebook page. "With the help of NYC first responders, who are the best in the world, the woman was treated and rushed to a local hospital. I applaud the quick thinking and heroic actions of David and the first responders".
The woman could be heard screaming in video footage filmed by workers in office buildings overlooking the crash site, while witnesses appealed for someone to call 911. She was taken by ambulance to New York's Belle Vue hospital.
Elliot Rodriguez, a cleaner who witnessed the crash, told The Daily Telegraph the taxi had been going at about 50 miles per hour. "At the speed he was going he just lost control," said Mr Rodriguez. "It happened so fast."
The driver, whose impact smashed a huge stone slab from a raised flower bed to the pavement, was not immediately arrested. However police said they were investigating the crash.
The Rockefeller Centre is one of New York's most popular tourist attractions, drawing millions of visitors for the views across the city offered from its roof.
The centre, which is home to the NBC broadcasting network as well as other major businesses, is also renowned for the public ice rink it houses every winter.
She was visiting New York from England with a friend, with whom she was walking and eating hot-dogs as the taxi struck. The driver was said to have claimed he swerved to avoid a cyclist.
Dozens of passersby promptly came to the woman's aid including Mohamed Elsayed, a 34-year-old food seller on the same square, who rushed over with a cooler full of ice with which to pack the woman's severed left leg.
"It was a terrible scene," he told reporters. "She was thrown into the bushes. She was screaming. Most of her leg was just there on the sidewalk, underneath the cab. We did all we could to help".
Fathy Mosad, a 22-year-old hot-dog seller, said minutes earlier he had served the two women hot-dogs with ketchup and mustard. "They were beautiful girls, smiling and so happy to be in New York," he said. "It's crazy what happened next".
The woman was also assisted by Dr Mehmet Oz, a well-known American television medic, who happened to be in the area.
Max Crespo, a pizza restaurateur who was passing with his girlfriend, the supermodel Heide Lindgren, also rushed to the victim's side and performed first aid. "We were telling her 'everything is going to be OK'," he said. "I think my boyfriend might be Superman," Lindgren said on Twitter.
However onlookers hailed as the day's hero Dave Justino, a 44-year-old plumber working on a nearby pharmacy, who removed his belt and used it as a tourniquet to staunch the bleeding from the victim's right leg, which was said to have almost been severed.
"David Justino took action," Dr Oz said later on his Facebook page. "With the help of NYC first responders, who are the best in the world, the woman was treated and rushed to a local hospital. I applaud the quick thinking and heroic actions of David and the first responders".
The woman could be heard screaming in video footage filmed by workers in office buildings overlooking the crash site, while witnesses appealed for someone to call 911. She was taken by ambulance to New York's Belle Vue hospital.
Elliot Rodriguez, a cleaner who witnessed the crash, told The Daily Telegraph the taxi had been going at about 50 miles per hour. "At the speed he was going he just lost control," said Mr Rodriguez. "It happened so fast."
The driver, whose impact smashed a huge stone slab from a raised flower bed to the pavement, was not immediately arrested. However police said they were investigating the crash.
The Rockefeller Centre is one of New York's most popular tourist attractions, drawing millions of visitors for the views across the city offered from its roof.
The centre, which is home to the NBC broadcasting network as well as other major businesses, is also renowned for the public ice rink it houses every winter.
