A hero Asian doctor has saved the life of a deliveroo driver after finding him trapped under a van with back wheel crushing his neck and within seconds of death.
Indian-origin Dr Vinay Pandya was around the corner who was having a coffee when he heard a hair raising scream. When Dr Pandya rushed to the spot, he saw a man trapped under a van, with passer-bys trying to help him. And Mr Pandya, who worked for years as a top anesthetist at Southmead, the BRI and Weston General Hospital, said he was ‘lucky to be alive’ after the crash in the centre of Bristol on Wednesday afternoon.
Mr Pandya’s told Bristol Live he had to shout and swear at the passers-by who came to help - as there was no time to lose. “I ran around the van and all I could see was a head sticking out from underneath,” he told the Bristol Live.
“The van was completely covering him, and his body was diagonally underneath with the back wheel next to his head. He neck was right in front of the back wheel.
“I told the crowd to let me through as I am a doctor, and got to him. I checked for a pulse and he did have one, but he was unconscious and not breathing with eyes half open and rolled back.
“I instantly realised that the tyre was squeezing down on his neck, that this was what was crushing his neck and stopping him from breathing. I knew that the wheel had to come off his neck right away,” he added.
Dr Pandya reportedly added, “A well-meaning crowd member shouted that we shouldn’t do anything until an ambulance arrived.
“I shouted ‘I’m a doctor and I’m telling you to f***ing move the van back!’ Another man in the crowd got everyone organised really quickly, and I think someone must’ve gone in and released the handbrake.
“It was no mean feat, because they pushed it gently uphill just seven or eight inches, and it was enough to get the wheel away from his neck,” he said.
“I didn’t know too much about how many people did that, or how, because I was down there with him, holding his head, but it worked.
“As soon as the pressure on his neck was eased, he began to breathe and I breathed a huge sigh of relief. Then he regained consciousness. He was able to tell me his name, and he had lots of injuries to his head and face.
“Then the paramedics arrived and I was able to hand over to them. He was still stuck fast - I think the saddle of his bike was wedged under him and the van was completely on top of him,” he added.
The man had a substantial damage to his face, but now has been told would be ok.
