'It was pretty terrifying' ... hero doctor who saved Tube attack victim speaks out

Brave Matt Smith was on his way to dinner with friends when the knifeman slashed open a passenger’s throat.

Hero doctor Matt Smith saved the attack victim's life on his way home from work

A HEROIC doctor who saved the life of the Leytonstone Tube station attack victim has revealed how he feared he would be knifed as he battled to save his life.

Brave junior doc Matt Smith

Brave Matt Smith said: “I was thinking I don’t want to get stabbed and I’m going to have to take the guy with me.”

The junior doctor was leaving work for dinner with friends when a knifeman slashed open the throat of a traveller.

Hearing of the attack, the 28-year-old raced into the station to see a man clasping his hands to his neck in a pool of blood. The trainee anaesthetist described the terrifying scene he was confronted with saying:

“The man was clutching at his neck and there was lots of blood on the floor and it looked like there was nobody there trying to help him.

“I ran down the stairs and tried to help, he had a big slash wound on his neck and there was a man next to him trying to use his jumper as a bandage trying to stop the blood.


“We just tried to keep pressure on the wound and to make sure he was conscious. I thought he was going to pass out and I was going to have to start CPR. The courageous young medic went on to detail how the knife wielding attacker returned as he was aiding the stricken passenger.

“I had a quick look at the wound, it was horrendous so we quickly put the pressure back on and then unfortunately the attacker came back. “Fortunately there was a group of brave people who started confronting him and shouting at him, including the man who had been helping with the jumper.

“I spoke to the patient and managed to get him up the stairs and away from the attacker; he was getting closer and closer to us. “It was pretty terrifying. When we were upstairs, we didn’t know what was happening, we could hear lots of shouting and banging but we didn’t know what was going on.

“We weren’t sure if it was just one man with a knife or the start of a massive attack. All I could do was concentrate on the victim.” The life-saving medic dutifully returned to work the following day despite spending five hours with cops in the aftermath of the attack.

The modest doc added: “It’s humbling to be called a hero, but at the time there were people there a lot braver than me confronting the attacker.