Dr Melike Ozkan with Emma Carter, who is a police constable in Islington

A DOCTOR and a police constable were reunited as they collected a commendation award from the Metropolitan Police for their life-saving collaboration after a road traffic accident.

Emma Carter, a police constable in Islington, was on her way to a job in April 2025 when she was flagged down by multiple people informing her of a serious and life-threatening road accident in Camden Road, Holloway.

A man had come off a moped and was “minutes away” from dying due to the blood pouring from his leg. PC Carter began first aid work, using a tourniquet to restrict blood loss whilst she awaited further help.

By chance, off-duty doctor Melike Ozkan happened to be driving home from a long shift at her hospital and saw the roadside commotion, pulling over to offer medical advice.

Together, they delivered life-saving first aid whilst they awaited an ambulance. The man’s leg was later amputated at the hospital, but he survived the incident, thanks to the collaboration of both women.

“We went down to the scene after being told there was lots of blood, and to be honest it looked like his leg was barely attached to his body. It was an overwhelming day and situation in general, quite distressing,” PC Carter told the Tribune.

“I’d never dealt with anything like that before. It’s nice to be able to sit and reflect on it all now in a positive way, because it was upsetting at the time. And honestly, I couldn’t have done it without Dr Ozkan’s help.”

After the ambulance took the injured driver to the hospital, the two went their separate ways and hadn’t seen each other until they received their awards at a commendation ceremony for Islington and Camden police officers on Tuesday.

“I was coming off shift and so obviously I didn’t have any medical equipment with me at all,” Dr Ozkan said.

“I pulled over because as doctors we have a professional duty to intervene when we see instances like this, and thankfully Emma was already doing great work there and using her knowledge and experience. It was a collaborative effort.

“At the awards, I recognised her straight away, it was really nice to see her after we’d been through that together.”

Chief Superintendent Jason Stewart praised the pair for their bravery, and said: “PC Carter was in a moment where every passing second directly increased the likelihood of a life threat.

“Drawing on her training she immediately took control of the situation and commenced life-saving first aid.

“Dr Ozkan arrived and was able to provide her professional medical input to assist with saving the patient’s life.

“She showed a dedication to the preservation of life when suddenly presented with an extremely unexpected and challenging situation when going about her daily life.

“Her medical professional later confirmed that the driver had severed major arteries and was only minutes from death.”

Twenty-six awards were presented throughout the day to officers from Islington and Camden for their work in tackling crime and intervening in life-threatening situations.
Mayor of Islington Cllr Rosaline Ongoro attended the event alongside Camden’s Mayor Cllr Patricia Leman, and said: “Often people don’t get to hear about the fantastic work that the Met Police do.

“Today at the Central North BCU Commen­dation Ceremony held at Camden Town Hall we heard about courage, selflessness and great sacrifices of officers who put their lives on the line to save lives and keep us safe in the London boroughs of Islington and Camden.

“I say thank you and congratulations.”