'How I saved my dad's life'

The family of a London plastic surgeon who almost lost his arm in a water-skiing accident today dramatically described how his life was saved by his quick-thinking 11-year-old son.

Andrew Lyons, a 47-year-old specialist at Guys Hospital, had his left arm nearly severed when the speedboat towing him, and driven by his wife, Francoise, went out of control after she was knocked unconscious and ran him down twice in the seas off Majorca.

His terrified son, John, then became the hero, reaching for the boat's throttle and bringing it to a halt as it bore down on his father a third time.

Today, as he waited for his father to recover after seven hours of surgery to save the arm, John said: "I looked over the back of the boat and saw blood everywhere and that his arm was hanging off. I could hear him say 'I am doing to die' and I shouted out 'No!'.

"It was horrible, the boat kept circling around him out of control, it was really frightening.

"I heard Dad shouting: 'Turn off the engine!' I found the throttle - my Dad had shown me the controls on holiday last year. I wasn't sure but I thought if I pulled back the throttle it would slow down. It seemed to work. It went into neutral or cut out, I'm not sure. But it stopped."

But John knew he had to reach his father, who was weakening by the second as he haemorrhaged in the water. He said: "I couldn't let him die, I had to do something and instinct told me what to do.

"I tore off my glasses and dived into the sea and began swimming towards Daddy. I was three quarters of the way, about ten feet away from him, when I saw an orange dinghy. I really wanted to get to Dad, but decided it would be better if I stopped and alerted the would-be rescuers.

"I began treading water and waved my arms in the air until they saw me. Thankfully they did. It was horrible."

John added: " People have been calling me a hero, but I am not - Dad is the one who has been through hell."

The family, including the couple's 13-year-old daughter Chantal, were holidaying in the resort of Port d'Andratx and were three days into a two-week trip when tragedy struck.

A team of researchers in the motorised dinghy, on a field trip from Majorca University, heard the family's screams for help and took the surgeon to shore aboard their boat. He also suffered horrific chest and leg injuries.

His 45-year-old wife, who has been visiting him at Son Dureta Hospital in Palma, had five stitches in her forehead.

Mrs Lyons, a GP who works at Amherst Medical Centre in Sevenoaks, Kent, where the family live, said: "Andrew will be a surgeon again. He is absolutely determined, fit and healthy. He is headstrong - he never gives up.

"If it wasn't for John, I dread to think what would have happened. He saved his father's life. I am so proud of him. John was incredibly brave. I am so proud of him."

"I don't know what happened as the boat jerked and I was flung to the back of it and was knocked unconscious as I fell."

Her son, who attends Solefields School in Sevenoaks, and who plans to one day be a surgeon like his father, added: "I thought dad was going to lose his arm as his top was soaked in blood."

Mr Lyons - who underwent a painstaking operation to bolt together the bones in his arm with metal plates and rods and more than 200 stitches to sew muscles, tissue and blood vessels - has stunned doctors by making such a remarkable recovery that today he will be moved from intensive care to a regular ward at the hospital in Majorca, and could be flown home by air ambulance this weekend. But he now faces six months of physiotherapy before he will learn whether he will regain full use of his arm.

Consultant Dr Juan Femenia said: "He can pinch his thumb and forefinger. I hope he will regain the feeling in his hand fully and will return to performing surgery." Police are examining the speedboat.