A cyclist who was seriously injured in a collision with a coach is appealing for help in tracing the off-duty nurse who held his hand as he lay in the road awaiting a helicopter to take him to hospital.

Colin Williams, 56, believes he would not have survived the ordeal at Bough Beech without her support and encouragement.

Mr Williams was an experienced cyclist making his way along the B2027 just south of Bough Beech when the accident happened back in June this year.

The road twists to go under a railway arch and as Mr Williams entered the tunnel he was confronted with a coach in the middle of the carriageway coming the other way.

He said: "I was already well over to the left, just a short space from the wall.

"When I saw the coach I immediately steered into the wall rather than hit it head on."

Mr Williams flew over the handlebars as the coach struck his right-hand side.

He was later taken by air ambulance to Kings College Hospital in London, where he was found to have 10 broken ribs, a punctured lung, a ruptured spleen, a shattered shoulder and cracked vertebrae.

He said: "I'm not sure whether I was lucky or unlucky, but I'm still here, which is good.

"The paramedics, helicopter crew and everyone at Kings College hospital were truly amazing and literally saved my life. Fortunately, all of my injuries I can recover from given time."

Mr Williams was cycling to Hildenborough to pick up his car from a garage where it was being serviced.

He was travelling at about 10mph, the coach was doing around 20mph, according to police estimates.

'I could feel myself fading away...'

He said: "Following the crash, I couldn't move and I was in tremendous pain and really struggling to breathe because of the punctured lung.

"I seriously thought it was over for me, I could feel myself fading away, but for this one lady, who stayed with me the whole two hours I was waiting for the helicopter to arrive, encouraging me and holding my hand. I'm so grateful to her. I'd like to thank her personally, but I have no idea who she is."

He knows only her name, Emily, and that she was from one of the cars that stopped following the accident.

Mr Williams spent 10 days at Kings College where he realised how lucky he had been.

He said: "Some of the sights there were horrific. My fellow patients had some terrible injuries. But there was still an incredible sense of optimism and a determination to carry on with their lives."

While at the roadside, a police officer had asked Mr Williams for details of his next of kin. He gave the number for Jackie, his ex-wife.

He later learnt from her that police had called her and advised her to go with their children directly to the hospital because it seemed doubtful that Mr Williams, a financial analyst from Stanstead, would pull through.

However, he did and he has already taking up cycling again.

He said: "I used to ride about 10,000 miles a year. I've done veterans' races and I'm a member of the Bishop Stortford Cycling Club.

"Now I'm very nervous when I'm on my bike, and every ride takes it out of me - it takes me the next two days to recover."

If you are Emily or know who she is, you can contact Mr Williams on ccwilliams100@msn.com

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