Brad Jessup meets Andria Kliszewski who saved his life when he was hit by truck in Yarraville

A man who was hit by a truck at a notorious Yarraville intersection has met the woman who saved his life as he lay on the road bleeding from the head.

A Melbourne man hit by a truck in a “terrifying” incident he blames on a missing traffic pole has met the woman who saved his life, as advocates demand immediate safety upgrades from the state government.

Brad Jessup was crossing the road — a busy freight route — in Yarraville on a green signal when he was hit by a truck and launched into the air.

It follows a July incident where a pedestrian suffered serious injuries after a truck hit a pole bearing the now missing traffic signal before it fell on the man’s head.

Seddon resident and truck accident victim Brad Jessup returned to the scene of a terrifying incident on Francis St just a week after he was hospitalised. Picture: Nilsson Jones

Mr Jessup, of Seddon, said he was lucky to be alive after he was taken out by a truck at the intersection of Francis St and Ballarat St during a Monday morning errand on October 16.

Mr Jessup had just dropped his dog off to daycare and was en route to work before his life, and body, were turned upside down.

Mr Jessup sustained a punctured lung, multiple broken ribs and an injured leg.

After being hospitalised, scans were done at the Royal Melbourne Hospital to ensure there were no critical or long-term injuries.

Yarraville residents and safety advocates claim drivers consistently run reds at the intersection
because traffic signals are out of view. Picture: Nilsson Jones

It comes as western suburbs residents are already plagued by poor air quality and fear the expansion of a cement facility will flood the roads with more trucks in an area gripped by a health emergency.

It also follows alarming data that revealed asthma among adolescents in Maribyrnong was 50 per cent higher than the state average and hospital admissions for people under 19 was 70 per cent higher than the national average.

On Wednesday afternoon, Mr Jessup was reunited with first responder Andria Kliszewski and said while he brought her flowers as a small gesture, he owed her so much more.

“You don’t often encounter people who you can say saved your life, I can, she saved my life,” he said.

In a beautiful moment, Brad Jessup, was reunited with his first responder Andria on Wednesday afternoon. Picture: Nilsson Jones

Yarraville resident Andria Kliszewski labelled the intersection a “death warrant” and vowed her family would never rely upon it again.

Ms Kliszewski saw the truck hit Mr Jessup and watched as he was sent flying through the air before smashing into the ground.

She then sprung into action and held Mr Jessup’s hand as bled from his head before she requested an ambulance and assured him he would survive.

“It was terrifying, absolutely terrifying … I can’t get it out of my mind, my 11-year-old son was with me and that could have been my son, he wouldn’t have survived that,” Ms Kliszewski said.

Yarraville resident and first responder Andria Kliszewski vowed to never let her family cross at the Francis St and Ballarat St intersection again. Picture: Nilsson Jones

“There’s so many kids and parents that cross here but there’s no visual, you can’t actually see if it’s safe or not, you can’t see if there’s trucks and by the time you can it’s too late, you’re in the middle of the road.

“Without an overhead light it’s impossible to see a red light when the road is backed up with trucks which is a regular occurrence.”

Ms Kliszewski said the driver got out of the vehicle and was extremely distressed, claiming he did not see the pedestrian because the remaining signals were blocked by other vehicles.

She said it was a miracle Mr Jessup survived and could barely believe her eyes when she saw him cross the same intersection just days after the incident.

Brad Jessup and Andria Kliszewski discussed the terrifying ordeal before listing a number of safety upgrades they believed were urgently needed at the intersection. Picture: Nilsson Jones

The incident — now the second major incident within four months — has prompted local advocacy group, Maribyrnong Truck Action Group (MTAG) to call for immediate safety upgrades and labelled inaction from authorities “negligent”.

The group’s president, Martin Wurt, said it was “outrageous” the overhead signal had been missing for more than four months.

“Francis St is a residential truck route with over 1.5m trucks each year, we need immediate measures to make this pedestrian crossing safe,” Mr Wurt said.

“Why do residents have to fear for their lives just to take their kids to school?

MTAG President Martin Wurt says Francis St is among the city’s most contentious roads and has been a battleground regarding the impact of trucks on residents for decades. Picture: Nilsson Jones

“We cannot live like this for another two years while we wait for the promised West Gate Tunnel Project’s truck bans which are now years behind schedule.”

According to MTAG, more than 5000 trucks use Francis St every day and was among Melbourne’s busiest residential truck routes.

A Victoria Police spokesman confirmed an investigation into the incident was finalised and no charges would be laid on the truck driver.

“We have been notified of concerns raised about the intersection and are liaising with other stakeholders,” the spokesman said.

Roads and Road Safety Minister Melissa Horne’s office was approached for comment.