Quick-thinking Big Issue vendor Garry Buchan has been hailed as a “great asset” to his community after leaping to the aid of a moped rider caught in a crash.
A Mini collided with a woman riding a moped just metres from Garry’s pitch on Park Street in Bristol on March 26, leaving the rider lying stricken on the road.
While onlookers gathered, the vendor, who has been selling the magazine for 18 months, used his rucksack to fill the gap between the moped’s handlebars and the car, protecting the woman from a more serious back injury. The woman, in her 20s, was left with injuries to her neck, back and legs.
Garry’s actions showed what a great asset to the community he is, what he did in that first five or 10 minutes before we got there made a real difference
“I was walking back to my pitch after going for lunch because I got a free burrito voucher when I saw the woman lying on top of the moped,” said Garry, originally from north-east Scotland. “There was a lot of people looking but no one was doing anything so I dropped my rucksack and food and went to help.
“I saw that there was a gap between the car and the moped so I was scared of the woman suffering a back injury. My rucksack was big enough to fill the gap so I put it under the woman to support her while another homeless man helped keep her neck still until the emergency services arrived.
“I haven’t seen the woman since the accident so I just hope that she is okay.”