SANFORD, Fla. – A man who was badly injured in a bicycle accident said he is alive today because of the kindness of strangers. He now hopes to track down the people who stopped to help him so he can thank them.
Lewis Alexander said it happened around 5 p.m. Sunday night near Mellonville Avenue and San Lanta Circle in Sanford. He was riding his bike down Mellonville Avenue when he lost control. What happened exactly is a blur.
“I was riding my bike, and I don’t know if I adjusted my shirt or something, but I slipped on my handlebars and I went down,” Alexander said.
Alexander said he rides his bike all the time around town and to and from work. He was on his way to a friend’s house when he ended up on the pavement.
“There was just a god-awful amount of blood everywhere, and I thought to myself, ‘I’m gonna bleed out,’” he said.
Alexander said he woke up in the hospital where he learned his femoral artery was cut open in the crash. He thinks the handlebars hit is upper thigh.
[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]
“I was impaled in my artery in my thigh right here,” Alexander said. “Most people don’t survive what I went through.”
Alexander said he remembers calling out for help. A man and a woman stopped to tie a tourniquet and give assistance.
“Some lady came up to me and she put pressure on my wound, and held my hand, and told me I’d be OK,” Alexander said.
After the accident, he expressed his gratitude online hoping to find her. He shared his story on Facebook hoping it would reconnect him with the people who saved his life.
Alexander said he is so grateful.
“I’m able to hug my family, and I just want to thank her and him. That’s all I want to do,” Alexander said.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: