A CAR crash victim has been reunited with a couple who helped him while on their way to a fancy dress party, thanks to an Echo appeal.

Mark Lawson, 39, of North Road, Westcliff, was thrown from his Chevrolet truck during the crash in Manners Way, Southend, and was surprised to find a girl dressed as an American diner waitress and a man in a fireman's costume by his side.

He wanted to thank the couple and, on Tuesday, appealed in the Echo for them to get in touch so he could replace the girl's blood-stained jacket which had been used to support his head.

As a result of his plea, kind-hearted teenagers Leah Attwood and Carl Aquilina have now come forward.

The couple were waiting for a bus to take them to a friend's fancy dress 18th birthday party and many people at the scene found Carl's fireman costume so convincing they believed he was on duty.

Carl, 18, a lifeguard from Hillside Road, Eastwood, said: "The funny thing was I didn't click.

"People said they were glad I was there. I wasn't sure what they were getting at, then I realised I was dressed as a fireman."

Published Thursday, November 17, 2005