‘I saw a pool of blood and felt like I was leaving the world'

Teuta Avdyli, 40, from Walthamstow in east London, says she was given a second chance at life after surviving a horrific road accident. Here, she tells her story

- LOUISE BURKE

It was a bright sunny day on the morning of Wednesday 21 September, 2016. Just like any other weekday morning, I woke up my two children, Helena and Daniel, who were seven and four at the time, and got them ready for school. My husband Berat cleared away breakfast, as I put on a beautiful dress for church on one of the last warm days before autumn.

When I waved my children goodbye at the school gate, I felt a sense of pride. I had been a stay-at-home mum, and although my kids are everything to me, I was so happy they were now in school and enjoying it. At 36, I finally had the freedom to focus on getting back to college to study for my PGCE and qualify as a teacher.

I hopped on my bike and headed to my church in Finsbury Park, north London, to catch the 10am service. I loved cycling – for the past 13 years I used to get around London on my bike, rain or shine. I weaved through the streets and came to some busy traffic lights. I could never have predicted what was about to happen to me.

I was by the main road waiting for the traffic lights to change. I was stationary. Suddenly from my right side, I felt the rushing air of coming movement. A construction lorry, which came from a side road looking to merge into the traffic, hit me violently.

I heard a loud bang. A heavy thud. A violent bump. It was me. It was the noise of my body slamming against the lorry. And then falling to the ground.

I couldn’t work out what was happening. My heart was in my throat. I was staring up at the beautiful, bright blue sky, but at the same time sinking into darkness. I was in excruciating pain, screaming on the inside as the heavy truck’s wheels – of which there were 12 in total – ran over my leg.