Anderton secures vote

Jim Anderton

The man Jim Anderton saved from bleeding to death says the politician has his vote for life.

The Progressive Party leader stopped Eddie Booth haemorrhaging after coming across the itinerant man gushing blood and running from attackers on a Sydenham street on Tuesday night.

Mr Booth was bleeding so much Mr Anderton thought he was "spilling a bottle of wine".

Mr Anderton used his silk tie and wife's possum fur scarf to staunch Mr Booth's bleeding before calling emergency services.

Hospital staff said Mr Booth would have died if Mr Anderton had not applied a tourniquet.

Mr Booth, a seasonal worker staying at an inner-city pub, said words could not express his gratitude to Mr Anderton for saving his life.

"What can you say to a guy who saved your life? 'Thank you' just doesn't seem enough," Mr Booth said. "He's definitely got my vote for life, that's for sure."

Mr Booth passed out after stumbling into the path of the Anderton's car as they drove home from a dinner party. He had cut an artery in his left arm jumping through the window of a nearby flat to escape a beating.

"I just saw this massive amount of blood coming out of my arm in two metre spurts," Mr Booth said.

- NZPA