A record label owner has been hailed a hero after she inspired a dramatic rescue operation, rallying 30 Londoners to lift a taxi off a stricken woman who had been run over.

Laura Fares, 37, of Lambton Road, Hornsey Rise, was walking near Bank Station when she saw a crowd of people gathered around semi-conscious barrister Claire Miller, 42. She had been dragged underneath a cab for 10 metres, with her lower body trapped under the wheels.

Riled by onlookers taking photos of the scene and waiting for emergency services, Miss Fares took control of the situation and screamed for help to lift up the taxi.

Around 30 people kicked into action and within three minutes moved the cab. Ms Miller is now recovering from her minor leg and pelvic injuries at home in Crouch End. And Miss Fares, whose actions have seen her labelled a hero on social media and be interviewed on national TV, said: “Maybe this will inspire people to take action in the future, and forget about their phones.”

Recalling the incident from Monday last week, she said: “I didn’t see the accident happen, I was there a couple of minutes after. I was walking along when I saw a guy staring into the distance, saying there’s a lady under the wheels of the car.

“I walked forward and saw her. There were paramedics there who put a pillow under her head, but they were waiting for the emergency services as they didn’t have the equipment. She looked nearly dead, so white in the face, but she was blinking every so often. It was bizarre as everyone seemed so calm about it.

“I thought: ‘we can’t wait for the emergency services, we need to do something now’. I saw 30 people just standing, staring, taking photos. My adrenaline kicked in. I asked the paramedic if we could do something and he said we could push the car away. I just started screaming, shouting, giving orders: ‘Let’s get it off her, right now.’

“As soon as I started shouting, everyone, from City workers to tourists, dropped their bags and came together. It was very moving.”

Miss Fares said Ms Miller had been dragged for around 10m, the distance which her lunch lay strewn across the road.

She added Ms Miller has since been in touch: “Claire sent me a very emotional email. They were beautiful words. I would love to meet her in her proper state and not on the floor in pain. I think it was a miracle that she was dragged for that long and escaped serious injury.”

Miss Fares, who owns independent label Aztec Records, became an internet phenomenon after footage emerged of the rescue.

Of the adulation she has received, she said: “It’s been overwhelming and moving. I think the responses show the story has touched the humanity in people.

“I’ve had someone, who I’d never even met before, offer free yoga classes. Random people have been messaging me. But I couldn’t just stand there and watch her suffer. The situation was waiting for someone to direct it.

“It reminds people that together, we can do amazing things and move mountains if we have to. Maybe this will inspire people to take action in the future, and forget about their phones.”