A father who was left for dead in a hit-and-run launched a search from his hospital bed today for the smartly-dressed man who saved his life.
Riaz Ilyas was knocked unconscious and suffered a broken leg, jaw, pelvis and back when he was struck by a black cab as he crossed a road in Regent’s Park.
A passer-by who saw the collision came running to help, dialling 999 and giving first aid until an ambulance arrived minutes later.
Mr Ilyas, 36, said: “The driver must have been going at 50mph when he hit me and left me for dead outside the Royal College of Physicians.
“I hit my head on the pavement and must have become unconscious.
“Luckily, as I was lying on the floor someone came to help me, otherwise I would be dead. The man was very smartly dressed and quite posh. He left his leather glove behind and I’d like to give it back to say thank you.”
The father-of-one from Birmingham was making his way from Euston to visit his elderly father in Willesden Green when he was hit in Park Square Gardens at about 9.40pm last Thursday.
His injuries include chipped bones in his elbow and lower back and cartilage damage to both knees, and he has been left temporarily deaf in his right ear.
Mr Ilyas has had a metal plate fixed to his right leg, which was broken in seven places, and will have more surgery this week on his jaw. He said: “The pain has been horrendous and I would not wish it on my worst enemy. It’s going to take me a year to get back on my feet. I can’t even get into a wheelchair.”
The trainee Forex trader also told how he had been planning to move to the capital to be closer to his father.
He said: “I was just about to start trading and this happens. But I will not let it beat me. London is where life is for me and this experience will push me on. I wanted to move here to look after my father and get a job in Canary Wharf. Nothing will put me off that.”
He added: “This driver needs to be caught. My message to him is ‘hand yourself in and face the consequences’. He nearly killed me that night.”
Scotland Yard is appealing for information about the collision.
A spokesman said police were called “to reports of a collision between a man and a Hackney carriage. The 36-year-old man was taken to hospital with serious leg and head injuries but they are not life-threatening.”
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