NHS worker, 27, says she is 'lucky to be alive' after crushing her jaw and teeth when she fell 13ft from bridge and landed face first on concrete
- Deméi Tito, 27, was walking to a friends house after seeing friends at the pub
- She stopped to sit on a bridge overlooking the River Brent in Ealing, west London
- But when attempting to leave she fell through 13 feet down onto a path below
- The NHS worker was found by a friend with cracked jaw and smashed front teeth
- She said she was 'lucky to be alive' after narrowly avoid injuring her neckAn NHS worker says she is 'lucky to be alive' after plunging 13 feet from a bridge and landing head first on concrete - crushing her jaw and smashing her teeth.
Deméi Tito was walking to a friend's house when she decided to stop and 'take a moment' by sitting on a bridge and enjoying the view over the River Brent in Ealing, London.
After a few minutes, the 27-year-old went to get up and put her hand down on what she thought was part of the bridge, but turned out to be a bush.
Deméi plunged 13ft from Hanwell Bridge onto a path below, landing squarely on her face - luckily avoid injury to her neck.
She woke up covered in blood and was found by a friend who came looking for her after she didn't meet as planned. She was then rushed to help where she underwent an emergency jaw operation.
Deméi Tito, 27, cracked her jaw and broke her front teeth after plunging 13 feet off of Hanwell Bridge where she had stopped to get a view of the River Brent in Ealing, west London
She woke up covered in blood and was found by a friend who came looking for her after she didn't meet as planned. She was then rushed to help where she underwent an emergency jaw operation
Horrifying x-ray scans show Deméi's jaw cracked in half with her front teeth smashed.
Now at home Deméi, who's always been told she has a really nice smile, faces a long road to recovery to regain her grin with extensive reconstructive and cosmetic work looking to cost £12,000.
Deméi, from Ruislip, West London, said: 'I'm lucky to be alive.
'I could have landed on my chin and my neck could have snapped, it may have been a totally different outcome for me and it may be for other people if they're not careful.
'I don't think I understood the severity of it at first because it didn't feel as bad as it was as my pain management was quite well controlled.
'After I had my surgical assessment and the surgeon showed me exactly how much was wrong and how swollen my face was, it was really scary.
Horrifying x-ray scans show Deméi's jaw cracked in half with her front teeth smashed
Deméi, from Ruislip, West London, said: 'I'm lucky to be alive. I could have landed on my chin and my neck could have snapped, it may have been a totally different outcome for me'
'I'm so lucky that it is all pretty much hidden - the cut is under my chin and the swelling has gone down and my teeth can be fixed.
'I've always been told I have a really nice smile and it was something that was one of my favourite things about myself. It's just a case of being patient with my body and myself.'
Deméi, a keen sports fan, had been walking to a friend's house on July 24 after popping to a bar to watch a rugby match with pals. Deméi said: 'I'd been out watching the British Lions vs South Africa game. I had a couple of drinks before I left. It wasn't an extortionate amount, I'd had enough to not be sensible but I definitely still had my wits about me.
'I'd actively climbed up [to the bridge] myself, in hindsight obviously not a great idea.
'I was sitting on it a couple of weeks before, which I think contributed to my decision to swing my legs over this time.
'I'd been sitting there for a little bit and it was quite dark when I was about to leave, I put my hand down into the bush instead of the bridge.
Specialists have suggested she will need at least two implants, a bridge, braces and caps and fillings to repair her battered smile and could cost £12,000
'My reaction time wasn't the quickest and my weight followed my arm down. I don't remember any of the fall, the next thing I knew I was on the ground spitting blood.
'None of my body was injured, the full force of the fall was on my face.
During a follow-up appointment Deméi was told that due to the severe crush injury to her jaw she may need further jaw surgery before undergoing cosmetic treatments.
Specialists have suggested she will need at least two implants, a bridge, braces and caps and fillings to repair her battered smile and could cost £12,000.
One of her friends has since set up a fundraising page to help cover the costs.
Deméi, who's originally from Auckland, New Zealand, said she feels lucky to have such a supportive friend network in the UK.
'I'm really lucky that I've got a very strong support system, which is a comfort,' she said.
'I'm not sure how long it will take for me to get my smile back again, that's something I will hopefully know in the coming weeks.
'Out in public it's a bit embarrassing. I'm happy I can wear a mask when I go out so I don't have people looking at me in the street.'
She added: 'I would advise anyone exploring in the UK to just be so careful.
'This isn't the first bridge I've sat on, I used to do it all the time and didn't think much of it because I thought 'I'm never going to fall'.
'You've just got to be extra careful, it could have been a totally different outcome.'
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