A British tourist had part of her leg severed after a New York City taxi mounted the pavement and hit her, it has been reported.
New York Police Department said the 23-year-old woman suffered a leg injury in the accident near the Rockefeller Centre on Sixth Avenue, in midtown Manhattan on Tuesday morning.
She is believed to be undergoing surgery to save her leg.
A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: “We are aware of a traffic incident involving a British national in New York City.
“Staff at the British Consulate General in New York are providing consular assistance at this difficult time.”
She was walking along the street with a friend eating a hot dog when the yellow taxi crashed into her, it was reported.
The driver claimed he was swerving to avoid a cyclist when the hit the woman.
Passers-by helped to tie a tourniquet around the woman’s legs to stem the bleeding, while others collected ice from street vendors to pack the severed leg.
Mohamed Elsayed, a 34-year-old food seller, said: “It was a terrible scene. She was thrown into the bushes. She was screaming. Most of her leg was just there on the sidewalk, underneath the cab. We did all we could to help.”
The woman was also assisted by Dr Mehmet Oz, a celebrity doctor in America, who was filming in the area.
He later praised plumber Dave Justino on Twitter for his “quick thinking” in tying his belt around the woman’s leg.
Detective Brian Sessa, from the New York Police Department, said: “A female aged 23 years old was struck by a cab which mounted the sidewalk.
“She was taken to Bellevue Hospital Centre where she is being treated for a leg injury.”