Sian Green had only been in New York for one day when she was hit by a taxi Tuesday.
The 23-year-old was eating a hot dog near Rockefeller Center when a taxi swerved to avoid hitting a cyclist and jumped the curb, crashing into her and severing her left foot. Dr. Oz and a plumber named David Justino, among several other people, sprang into action to help Green. Dr. Oz said Justino was the real hero of the day after using his Carhartt belt as a tourniquet.
“It’s very smart thinking,” Oz said. “A simple thing like a union plumber’s belt can save your life.”
Justino said he was in awe of Green, whom he called “a strong girl, a brave girl.”
He added, “Her left leg was severed off, the other was mangled. She was conscious the whole time, the poor thing. I wished she would have passed out.”
Doctors at Bellevue Hospital tried in vain to reattach Green’s foot. At least two other people were treated at area hospitals with less serious injuries.
Green’s friend, Keshia Warren, was unharmed in the accident.
Sian Green is a student of fashion-buying at De Montfort University in Leicester, England. She is employed as a buyer trainee at Hugo Boss. Her family spoke to local media before getting on a plane to New York.
“She is in recovery now, and they have had to amputate what’s left of her foot,” Green’s father, Jason, said. “Her friend Keshia is still in shock. We are a really close family we are all devastated by what has happened. We don’t know what to say. We just want to be at our daughter’s side right now.”
Green’s boyfriend William Lord, who was on a trip to Ibiza when the accident happened, is also expected to fly to New York to be with her.
The cab driver, 24-year-old Faysal Kabir Mohammad Himon, blamed the cyclist for the accident, saying that he had cut him off as they were heading up Sixth Avenue.
“I feel really bad about the lady,” Himon said. “I didn’t realize she was underneath my car. I’ll never forget her and I’ll never forgive myself.”
We here at The Inquisitr wish Sian Green a speedy recovery.