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A Bristol man has been hailed a hero after he pushed his girlfriend out of the way of an out-of-control car, and suffered horrific injuries when it hit him instead.

Ed Bowen medically died and had to be resuscitated in the ambulance rushing him to hospital, and is now facing a different life after his left leg was amputated just below the hip.

But now, three weeks after the crash which nearly killed him and changed the lives of he and his partner Nicola Boraston, the couple have been overwhelmed by an outpouring of support from family, friends and strangers in Bristol and beyond.

A GoFundMe page set up to help Ed and his family when he is eventually discharged from hospital has already smashed its initial target three times over, and his friends say there will be huge financial and emotional implications for the rest of their lives from the shocking events in Bristol three weeks ago.

Ed and Nic were walking home on Ninetree Hill in Stokes Croft at around 2.30am on October 20, when they were passed by a car being driven up the hill ahead of them. The car then began to reverse at speed towards them and swerved off the road.

Ed, from Montpelier, said he leapt into the path of the car to push Nic out of the way. She suffered only minor injuries, but the back of the car pinned Ed to a retaining wall of a garden, crushing his left leg and pelvis, before moving forward and allowing the wall to collapse on top of him.

(Image: Ed Bowen)

The 33-year-old suffered such terrible injuries that he medically died in the ambulance rushing him to hospital and had to be resuscitated by paramedics.

He underwent 11 hours of surgery, and spent two weeks in intensive care at Southmead Hospital. Surgeons were unable to save his left leg, and had to amputate it just below the hip.

He now faces months of recovery in hospital from his shattered pelvis and years of rehabilitation.

“I remember the car hitting me, but I don’t really remember anything too much after that,” he said. “I have spent most of my working life in care work so it feels weird and a challenge to switch to being cared for now.”

Police arrested the driver, a man aged 30 who has not been named, at the scene and later released him on bail. They said Ed was in a critical condition for days following the crash.

Friends of Ed, who is well known in Montpelier and Stokes Croft as an artist, skateboarder and tattoo artist, set up a GoFundMe page and within just a couple of days, it has raised more than £6,000.

The appeal has been set up by friends, and named the ‘Bionic Ed’ appeal. “Ed and Nic have honestly been the bravest most inspirational team during this whole time,” a spokesperson said.

(Image: Ed Bowen)

“I can't explain in words how amazing these two are, and as you can imagine, everyone in Southmead Hospital now loves Ed for his relentlessly positive outlook throughout.

“Unfortunately, it is going to be a long journey for rehabilitation and as you can imagine there will be a lot of pressure for Ed when he comes out of hospital.

“Due to the accident Nic and Ed won’t be able to work, so with your help, we would like to relieve any financial strains that they will have to meet.

“It will make a world of difference by taking away any added stresses when they leave the hospital. At this point I'm sure you can agree this dream team don't need to go through anymore than they already have,” they added.

"The response has been amazing," said Ed. "I have had so many messages from people which have really touched me. I would just like to thank everyone who has donated or got in touch to wish me well."