The distraught mother of a stabbing victim - one of two men wounded at the weekend in St Albans - has passed on her gratitude to the Good Samaritans who saved her son’s life.
Shocked locals went to the rescue of two stabbing victims who were seen “staggering as if they were drunk” through a St Albans estate last Sunday (17).
Herts Police were called to Tanners Close, Oysterfields, shortly after 9pm following reports that two men had sustained serious injuries.
Forensic experts remained at the cordoned-off scene of the stabbing at a property in a nearby street, Artisan Crescent, on Monday.
A police spokeswoman said that officers were investigating after two men were stabbed “during a domestic-related incident”.
One of the pair suffered chest and abdomen injuries, while the second victim had a chest injury.
The East of England Ambulance Service transported both to St Mary’s Hospital in London, where one remains in a stable condition, and the second was released on Tuesday.
The mum of the more seriously injured of the two contacted the Herts Advertiser yesterday (Wednesday).
Speaking from Glasgow, before her 35 year old son was about to undergo a scan, she said he was “out of danger” but still in intensive care.
The mum said that both victims were from Milton Keynes.
She said her son had been stabbed five times, adding, “one went through his lung, another near his heart and he had stab wounds to his stomach.
“He was fighting for his life. I’m very grateful to the people who gave him help. Since he has been in hospital I haven’t eaten or slept – I have been demented with worry. It has been torture for me.
“I’m grateful to everybody that helped my son. Thanks to them, I still have my son today.”
Her son later also briefly called this paper, to pass on his gratitude to those who saved him. He said that the hospital had used “50 surgical staples” to close his wounds. And although he was still in pain, “I want to pass on my thanks to them”.
The men were seen “staggering” through the estate, from Artisan Crescent - where the stabbings occurred - to where they collapsed in Tanners Close.
At first, people had assumed they were drunk.
However they realised the seriousness of the situation when they noticed blood on the pair.
A resident said: “You can still see blood on the road where they collapsed. We had armed police here, and I thought ‘Oh my God’. I hadn’t realised there had been a serious assault.”
One of those who helped the injured pair said: “I saw them stumble over the cul de sac, through Artisan Crescent at about 9pm. I could hear a lot of swearing and a kerfuffle.”
When the woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, went outside to investigate, she spoke with concerned neighbours, one of whom assumed the men were drunk, while another said they might be injured.
The woman added: “I approached them in Tanners Close, and asked them if they were OK. One carried on walking, and the other said ‘no’. I approached him and saw that he had been stabbed.
“Instinct took over – he was sitting on a little fence, so I got him on the ground and shouted to the neighbours to get some towels. I called the ambulance.
“I think the adrenalin took over. My neighbour brought towels over, and these were used to compress the wounds.”
She saw that he had been “stabbed about four times” so, she and a neighbour continued with compressing the wounds and “kept him alert by speaking with him. He was fully conscious but in a lot of pain. It was pretty horrific.”
The ambulance arrived “within a couple of minutes and then the police showed up. They spoke with him briefly, because the paramedics were dealing with him.”
She said that one of her concerns was that children in the estate came out onto the street and saw the bloody scene. But police then told residents to stay indoors while they investigated and made the area safe.
• Two men, aged 20 and 47, from Abbots Langley and Edgware, have been arrested on suspicion of GBH. Both have been released on police bail, and are due to return to Hatfield Remand Court on August 30. No charges have been laid.
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