Simon Cramp would have died if he’d arrived at hospital just minutes later, according to the neurosurgeon who treated him.
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The 26-year-old is recovering in St Vincent’s Hospital from severe head wounds sustained when he was king hit on George Street, Sydney, in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Paramedics were able to transport Mr Cramp to the hospital quickly, which is crucial for patients who have been slugged with a ‘‘killer punch’’, neurosurgeon Dr Tim Steel said.
If he had arrived a few minutes later, his brain would have been irreversibly damaged from pressure caused by excess blood and swelling.
If he had arrived 10 minutes later, it probably would have been too late to save him, Dr Steel told reporters in Sydney on Thursday.
Typically, it takes people with ‘‘such bad head injuries’’ weeks or months to recover, Dr Steel added.
But Mr Cramp is alert, talking, has regained vision and has taken a few tentative steps in his hospital room.
‘‘It’s a tribute to him and the speed of his delivery... that he’s recovered so well,’’ Dr Steel said.
Doctors can’t rule out whether any permanent brain damage occurred, but they cautiously advise that his prospects are good, given the speed of his recovery.
Mr Cramp’s parents, Angela and Phillip, met Dr Steel and St Vincent’s trauma director Dr Anthony Grabs for the first time on Thursday outside the hospital.
His parents only learned on Thursday how critical the speed of their son’s treatment had been.
‘‘It must be just the fact that it was so quick and dealt with so well,’’ mother Angela said.
‘‘We’re incredibly lucky or we would be another family dealing with a tragedy.’’
Daniel Angelos, 23, has been charged with with causing grievous bodily harm with intent and affray over the attack.
He did not appear before Central Local Court on Wednesday, where his lawyer did not apply for bail, which was formally refused. AAP
