A man who feared he would lose his leg after he was crushed between two forklift trucks has praised the swift response of emergency services.

Eastern Daily Press: Elliot Bird recovering at his home in Carbrooke after his leg was crushed between two fork lift trucks. Picture: DENISE BRADLEYElliot Bird recovering at his home in Carbrooke after his leg was crushed between two fork lift trucks. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY (Image: Copyright: Archant 2018)

Elliot Bird, 24, was at work at a Norfolk factory on February 21 and had just taken his last break of the day when he was returning to work.

But Mr Bird, a forklift driver himself, soon found himself in the path of danger.

He said: 'There was a forklift coming at me in reverse, I went to get out of the way but I was getting into a corner, I was shouting 'stop' but he couldn't stop it. '

Mr Bird tried to jump out of the way and managed to protect his body, but his leg was caught between the moving forklift and a stationary one, crushing it.

Eastern Daily Press: Elliot Bird recovering at his home in Carbrooke after his leg was crushed between two fork lift trucks. Picture: DENISE BRADLEYElliot Bird recovering at his home in Carbrooke after his leg was crushed between two fork lift trucks. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY (Image: Copyright: Archant 2018)

'It all happened so quickly and the pain was really bad, all I could see was all the blood,' he said. 'I feared for my life because I thought if I don't get out of the way it could crush my front. If I was a bit quicker it would have been better but if I was a bit slower it could have been much worse.'

A crew from the East Anglian Air Ambulance soon arrived on the scene, and gave Mr Bird morphine for the pain, before a road ambulance took him to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH).

'The pain was so bad I thought I must have lost it,' Mr Bird said.

'At the hospital I was surrounded by doctors and nurses and straight away they got it cleaned up and stitched up.'

At one point Mr Bird was set for an operation, as there was concern he might lose his foot. But medics decided they would instead keep him in hospital to monitor his condition.

Now at home in Anson Way, Watton, Mr Bird said he feels 'useless' as he is unable to put weight on his leg - but he heaped praise on the ambulance crews and hospital staff.

He said: 'There was no delay, people say things about the NHS where it's slow and I've experienced that too but not this time.'