An off-duty nurse who helped to drag two people from the wreckage of a car crash outside her home has been hailed “a hero” by the survivors.
Civil servants Lois Leyland and Paul Bullen were driving home when they were hit by a van at a notorious junction in Morden.
Their Vauxhall Astra veered off the road and flipped onto its roof. The two friends were trapped, with 26-year-old Ms Leyland bleeding heavily from a head injury.
The crash occurred on Tuesday just outside the home of Kingston Hospital nurse Lucy Jay Bellinger. She rushed outside and immediately began to help the stricken pair.
After turning off the engine Ms Bellinger, 24, who qualified as a nurse last year, managed to pull the injured victims from the car. She then carried out first aid until the ambulances arrived.
The pair were taken to St George’s Hospital in Tooting. Ms Leyland, from North Cheam, was treated for a head injury, while Mr Bullen, 28, from Essex, was unharmed.
Ms Leyland said the couple’s plight could have been far worse without Ms Bellinger’s professionalism.
She said: “She completely took control of the situation. I was bleeding a lot and some people were screaming at me to turn the engine off, which was not helping.
“Lucy took control and kept me calm and made sure we were able to get out. Without her it would have been far worse. We were really lucky in the
end. We could easily have failed to get out alive, considering how badly the car was damaged. Lucy is a hero and we’re very grateful to her.”
Ms Bellinger, who hopes to become a midwife, said she had been extremely concerned about the injuries suffered by Ms Leyland.
It is the sixth time in two years that the nurse has been called upon to help at a crash outside her home.
She said: “When I first got there it looked horrendous and there was so much blood pouring from the driver’s face.
“I just tried to calm her down and put pressure on the injury. I spoke to the 999 operator and kept working until the ambulance crews arrived.”
She added: “There are always crashes outside here. I think it must just be a bad junction.
“I always appreciate hearing nice things from people I’ve helped, getting cards and thank you letters, but I’m not special. I’m a nurse — I’m supposed to help people.”
Her father, John, said he was incredibly proud of his daughter.
“It’s not a job, with her, it’s a passion,” he said. “She would stay at the hospital all day and night if she could just to help people.
“She is a hero and she deserves the credit. She has helped so many people outside the house that it’s almost like this is a second place of work for her.”
Ms Bellinger’s commitment has also been noticed by hospital senior staff, who today joined in the praise for her.
Steven Roots, senior charge nurse at Kingston Hospital, said: “Lucy is a very dedicated nurse. She always goes the extra mile both at work and out of hours.
“She really is a complete asset to the profession and in particular to our nursing team.”
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