A motorcyclist who came close to losing his leg as well as his life after he was hit by a car has been reunited with the medical team who battled to save him.

John Michaels, 44, a pianist and events organiser from Great Dunmow, was riding his motorbike when he was hit by a car in Hatfield Heath, leaving him with a broken tibia, fibula, and femur.

By chance, Kaitee Robinson, a student paramedic with the East of England Ambulance Service, was in a car behind and stopped to help.

She said: “I noticed lots of traffic and thought someone had broken down, but when I got closer, I could see John on the floor and his motorbike halfway down the road. Immediately I thought to myself this isn’t good.”

Kaitee, who was off duty, used her paramedic training to ensure John’s condition did not deteriorate further while they were waiting for for the ambulance to arrive.

The crew who arrived and saved John’s life included emergency medical technician Neil Humber, senior paramedic Anne Worley and student paramedic Mary-Anne Murray. They worked with another crew from the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance Trust (EHAAT) and together used critical care to stabilise him as best as they could.

John was airlifted to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge after the accident, on August 25 last year, where specialists worked tirelessly to save his leg. It was several weeks later that John was able to be discharged from hospital and go home to complete his recovery.

During an emotional reunion, John and his wife Carmen, who had moved to Dunmow to start a family, met Kaitee and some of the other life-savers last week to thank them in person.

John, who has pins in his leg and will take over another year to recover, said: “On behalf of my family, thank you for saving me, because of you I am here today. The series of events following the crash saved my life, from the initial efforts of Kaitee, to the rapid response of everyone else. If it wasn’t for them I would have died.”

Kaitee said: “It was so good to see John looking so well, it means so much to us to be recognised for what we did.”

Neil added: “Everyone worked together to save John, and it is really nice to see him and be appreciated for our efforts.”