The British tourist who lost her leg in a horrific Manhattan accident five weeks ago has spoken publicly about the crash for the first time today in an emotional but upbeat interview.
Sian Green, 23, had to have her left leg amputated after a taxi lost control and slammed into her, severing her foot, near the Rockefeller Center on August 20.
The aspiring model from Leicester appeared on the Today show on Tuesday and said that if it wasn't for the kindness and quick-thinking of strangers, she wouldn't have survived the traumatic crash.
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Upbeat: Sian Green spoke for the first time since the horrific accident on the Today show on Tuesday and thanked strangers for saving her life. She appeared on the show with best friend Keshia Warren (left) who she described as her 'rock'
Tribute: Miss Green said if it wasn't for the actions of strangers who rushed to help she wouldn't have survived the accident. Plumber David Justino (right) used his belt to make a life-saving tourniquet for her leg, while celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz (left) also raced to the scene
Passersby rushed to help Miss Green immediately after the incident. Plumber David Justino used his belt to make a life-saving tourniquet for her leg while a pizza truck owner raced to put her foot on ice.
They were also helped by celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz, better known on U.S. TV as Dr Oz, who hurried to the scene from his nearby office.
Smiling Miss Green, who appeared on Today in a wheelchair with her leg bandaged, told host Matt Lauer: 'There's good people in this world, very good people in this world that I can't thank enough.'
'They saved my life. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be sitting here right now telling this story,' she added, though noting that the accident had taken an emotional toll.
Optimistic: Sian Green spoke publicly for the first time today since the horrific Manhattan taxi accident in which she lost her leg five weeks ago
Vital support: Miss Green (left) said best friend Keshia Warren (right) has been a 'rock' during her recovery. 'I couldn't do half the things without her, I really couldn't,' she added
The woman, who was training to be a buyer for Hugo Boss, has just been released by Bellevue Hospital, but her appearance in the Today studio took place just one block from the scene of the crash.
She admitted that she does have some unpleasant flashbacks: 'I haven't been out in five weeks. It takes me back a little bit, even when I see a yellow car.... But I'll get there.'
Miss Green told the show of her memories of the accident. 'I couldn't move,' she said. 'It was one of those things. If I had gone left, it would have gotten me, if I had gone right, it would've gotten me.'
Green says her most vivid memory of the day is walking around the city, getting a drink, going to Times Square and having a great time with her best friend, Keshia Warren who also appeared on the show.
Miss Green paid tribute to her friend, who was with her during the accident and hasn't left her side since. 'She's been my rock,' Green said. 'I couldn't do half the things without her, I really couldn't.'
'We came here thinking we were just coming on a holiday, and then it's been a whirlwind and it's turned upside down,' the 23-year-old added.
Investigation: No charges have yet been filed against the taxi driver in the incident, who reportedly lost control of car after an argument with a cyclist and ploughed into Miss Green
Authorities continue to investigate the accident but no charges have yet been filed against the runaway cab driver.
Driver Faysal Kabir Mohammad Himon of Queens, New York, 24, has been charged with seven traffic violations in the last three years.
He is believed to have got into an argument with cyclist Kenneth Olivo, 40, who reportedly also has a criminal history, just before the crash.
Miss Green also received deep cuts on her right leg, but doctors expect her to regain most of the functionality in that leg as she continues therapy.
Friends and relatives say Green's naturally good-spirited nature has helped her through a hard five weeks.
'It's quite difficult, but she's a very optimistic person,' Sian's sister Stacey told Today. 'She just takes it day by day.'
Aspirations: Sian Green hoped to become a model and was training to be a buyer for Hugo Boss
Green told Lauer that being thousands of miles from home made her ordeal even worse and that she was calling out for her mother in the ambulance.
'It was really difficult,' Miss Green said. 'The worst thing that you want to hear is that your daughter's been in an accident so far away from home.
'All those miles away, mom and dad had to get the first flight out, and I could just not imagine what they were going through,' she added.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2430526/British-tourist-lost-leg-horrific-Manhattan-taxi-crash-pays-tribute-strangers-saved-life-interview-accident.html#ixzz2fpjU5m6k
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