Crash man Lee Rose meets med student who helped save his life

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Lee Rose and Laura Falvey
Image caption,
Lee Rose with medical student Laura Falvey who helped save his life

A man whose heart stopped twice and had to have a quarter of his skull removed following a hit-and-run in London has met the medical student who helped save his life on the roadside.

Lee Rose, 23, from Hainault underwent major surgery for a blood clot on his brain and a broken hand after he was hit by a people carrier on Leytonstone High Road in Waltham Forest at about 00:25 BST on 20 April.

King's College London medical student, Laura Falvey, 20, happened to be driving past.

She said: "I saw him in the road and jumped out quickly because there were no blue lights and all I could see was a pair of feet sticking out from a group of people.

Image caption,
Lee suffered a blod clot on the brain following the collision

"I asked if anyone knew what they were doing, and everyone looked at me with blank faces and they were all terrified."

Laura said security guards from a local pub moved people out the way so she could attend to Lee while they waited for the paramedics to arrive.

"His pupils were staring straight forwards and there was no response. I was trying to hear his breathing or feel his breath but his chest wasn't moving. I turned him to do CPR and saw his chest judder, I leant down and heard the faintest of breaths.

"He was lying on me while they [paramedics] were treating him and his head was smashed and I had blood on my hands. It was scary but at the time you don't think about it.

"The paramedics said I did the right things and that he wouldn't have lived if I hadn't been there."

For Lee's mum, Carol, it was a late night phone call which alerted her to her son's condition.

She said: "It was horrible. I just ran to the cab station and just jumped in a cab.

"At the hospital they said his heart had stopped, they did a scan and then it stopped again and they did another scan and said he had bleeding on the brain. It's been tough, but he's doing better.

"It's still early because we don't know the side effects. One minute he's talking and then he just groans like he's got the hump."

Lee was flown to the Royal London Hospital by air ambulance where he is being treated and under going physiotherapy and occupational therapy.

His uncle, Charles Rose said: "He's out of danger now but he's had a few seizures and is going to be in hospital for quite a long time. It was Laura that revived him so if it wasn't for her he would never have had a fighting chance. Fingers crossed he's going to make a full recovery but he's got a long way to go."

Lee had been going to a party when a friend shouted "get out the way" as a car came around the corner but Lee was hit by the full force of it.

The Metropolitan Police are currently investigating and looking for a dark-coloured people carrier as well as analysing CCTV footage which Mr Rose hopes will make the perpetrator feel "backed into a corner".

Image caption,
Lee will undergo further operations to repair the damage done to his skull

The family have been focusing on Lee's recovery but on Friday Laura, who is revising for her second-year exams, walked into his room after discovering where he was being treated.

She said: "It was really great to see him, but he was a bit dazed. I chatted to him for about half an hour and then his mum came up. When he introduced me, she did a double take and then just jumped on me.

"I'm going to visit him again and it's inspiration for my exams because if we hadn't been doing this he wouldn't be alive.

"You go into medicine because you want to help people, but it's definitely affirmed what I want to do. The messages I've been getting from people I've never even met thanking me has been over-overwhelming.

Ms Rose added: "I'll keep in contact and take her out for a meal and really treat her because without her he wouldn't be here."

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