LISA Holmes' shocking fall under the Bixley-bound First Eastern Counties bus brought shop staff, firefighters and paramedics rushing to her aid.Fire crews began a delicate operation to slowly lift the bus from the ground, allowing medics to get Mrs Holmes.

LISA Holmes' shocking fall under the Bixley-bound First Eastern Counties bus brought shop staff, firefighters and paramedics rushing to her aid.

Fire crews began a delicate operation to slowly lift the bus from the ground, allowing medics to get Mrs Holmes.

They had been called by a Tacket Street worker, who rushed to the scene after seeing the accident while he was smoking outside his shop.

Michael Talbot, 35, an internet sales consultant at Cash Converters, was the first person to come to the aid of Mrs Holmes, a 39-year-old mother-of-one.

The force of the collision had made a sound that could be heard behind the closed doors of the shop, he said.

When he got to the scene he realised Mrs Holmes had been injured seriously.

“There was a lot of blood coming from her and she was unconscious.

“I checked her pulse and called the ambulance.”

Mr Talbot, who lives in the Felixstowe Road area, may have played a key role in stopping the accident from being even worse.

As distressed passengers rushed forward to try to get off the bus, he told them to stay where they were, because their weight at the front would have added to the pressure on Mrs Holmes.

Mr Talbot stopped traffic from entering Tacket Street, a narrow road, allowing emergency vehicles more space to get in.

The seriousness of Mrs Holmes' injuries left him feeling slightly shaken.

“It was not until afterwards that I went into shock. It didn't sleep very well that night or the night after.

“But it was just a freak accident - I don't believe the bus was going too fast.”

Passers-by watched as two fire crews from Princes Street and one from Colchester Road hoisted the front of the bus and worked to free Mrs Holmes.

Later an air ambulance landed at Old Cattle Market bus station but Mrs Holmes was taken to hospital by road ambulance.

Stefano Palladino, a 33-year-old businessman who owns Antonio Giovanni hair salon and Café Basso, both on Tacket Street, looked after Ciara, the Holmes' one-year-old daughter, for about 40 minutes following the accident.

But Mr Palladino, who said he has cut Mr Holmes' hair for at least five years and who has met Mrs Holmes, didn't know who had been involved in the accident when he rushed out.

“I did not realise it was Rob's wife at first. It was quite shocking and it was strange to realise the lady was someone I knew.”