THE wife of a bus driver left with life-threatening injuries after a crash has expressed her “huge gratitude” to those helping his recovery.

Mark Gould was driving a number 5 bus from Patcham when it went into the back of a 14C Peacehaven bus in North Street, Brighton, on July 6.

Mr Gould was seriously injured in the crash, which saw the steering column come to within two inches of his seat, and was cut from his mangled cab by emergency workers.

He told his supervisor at the start of his shift that he was feeling unwell and it is believed a medical episode led to the crash.

Mr Gould, of Southwick, was put in a medically-induced coma after the crash and is progressing with his recovery but still needs hospital attention.

His wife, Paula, 48, thanked those helping her husband.

Martin Harris, managing director of Brighton & Hove Buses, said: “Since that awful accident on July 6 we have remained in daily contact with our driver’s wife Paula.

“With the continuing progress of her husband’s recovery ... she wants to pass on a message of huge gratitude to all. Paula has asked us to pass on her deeply felt gratitude for the assistance given by everyone at the scene in North Street and then at the hospital.

“Paula wishes to express the thanks of her and the family to them all: the police, the paramedics, the fire service, the bus company staff and the Royal Sussex County Hospital staff, where Mark spent two weeks in recovery.

“Mark is making increasingly encouraging progress but continues to be treated in hospital and will need a long recovery period.

“Paula and Mark’s family would also like to thank everyone for the generous flowers, cards, letters and well wishes that they have received over the past four weeks from colleagues and friends and from so many members of the public in Brighton and Hove.”

Mr Gould was hailed a hero in 2002 after catching a mugger and locking him in his bus until police arrived.

Days after the crash, his boss Mr Harris described him as a “first-class employee”.

Mr Harris added: “I would also like to express my personal support for Mark, Paula and their family, who have been magnificent in the way they have responded to this extremely challenging situation, and to add my own thanks to the public for the tremendous support they have shown and the overwhelming level of support for Mark shown by his colleagues at the bus company.

“We are continuing to progress with our support for the passengers who were on board the buses involved in the incident.”