Sian Green was exploring Manhattan in August, when a taxi mounted the curb and hit her.
Cab driver Faysal Kabir Mohammad Himon, 24, was reportedly involved in an altercation with 40-year-old cyclist Kenneth Olivo, before following him onto the pavement in his taxi.
23-year-old Green was hit and lost consciousness, but credits passers-by who rushed to the scene with saving her life.
Plumber David Justino used his belt to make a life-saving tourniquet for her leg while a pizza truck owner raced to put her foot on ice.
In an inspiring but emotional interview, Miss Green, who appeared on Today in a wheelchair with her leg bandaged, told host Matt Lauer:
'There's good people in this world, very good people in this world that I can't thank enough.
'If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be sitting here right now telling this story'
'They saved my life. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be sitting here right now telling this story.’
Green, a trainee buyer at Hugo Boss, explained:
'I haven't been out in five weeks. It takes me back a little bit, even when I see a yellow car.... But I'll get there.
We came here thinking we were just coming on a holiday, and then it's been a whirlwind and it's turned upside down.'
Speaking about the moment she was hit, Green added:
‘I couldn't move. It was one of those things. If I had gone left, it would have gotten me, if I had gone right, it would've gotten me.'
Sian has remained in the US for treatment, and her parents have flown out to be by her side.
'It was really difficult,' Miss Green said. 'The worst thing that you want to hear is that your daughter's been in an accident so far away from home.
'All those miles away, mom and dad had to get the first flight out, and I could just not imagine what they were going through,' she added.
Himon, who has been charged with seven traffic violations in the last three years, has denied responsibility describing the crash a ‘just an accident’, and telling reporters:
‘I am praying for her and her family, but it is not my fault.’
Authorities continue to investigate the accident, but no charges have been filed against the driver.