The mother of a delivery driver who lost part of his leg when he was hit by a Garda car has told of her horror at the incident.
Pals of Brazilian Joao Henrique Ferreira held a protest in central Dublin on Monday following Saturday’s accident on the M50, south of the city.
The protests came as the mother of Mr Ferreira (23) flew to Dublin to be with him – and spoke of her horror at the crash, which is now being investigated by GSOC, the independent policing watchdog.
READ MORE:Protesters demand justice for delivery driver who lost leg after being struck by garda car near M50
Sheila Thomaz said that her son Joao, who has lived in Ireland for the last five years, was badly injured – but added she was convinced he would recover.
She told O Globo newspaper in her native Brazil: “It's difficult to understand what has happened here. Everyone is horrified. He's gone through the first surgery, which was the amputation, and that was the most difficult decision.
"He has some others to undergo now. It's a very complex surgery, so he'll need to see various doctors. He's going to go through a lot, but he's strong. He's healthy. He's 23 years old, he's a cyclist, an athlete, so he will get through it. We have faith.
"He's very well-liked, he helps out Brazilians who arrive there and he's never had any problems. He goes to the gym, he works, he pays his bills and he's a good kid.’
And his father, Anderson Farias, mayor of the city of Sao Jose dos Campos on the south coast of Brazil, said he was devastated by the incident.
Mr Farias added: “He has lots of friends there in Dublin, they're all helping him out. They're all praying for him to stay strong and to get through it and we'll see what happens then, God willing. Hopefully, he'll come through it stronger."
The accident happened on the slip road leading from the N81 at Tallaght to the northbound carriageway of the M50 at around 3.15pm on Saturday.
Mr Ferreira and a number of pals were chasing a gang who had stolen a motorbike belonging to another Brazilian when they called gardai for help.
The owner had fitted a tracking device to the bike and Mr Ferreira and others followed it out to the M50 and alerted gardai.
Gardai rushed to the scene and managed to recover the bike on the slip road – after it had been abandoned by the thieves who then made off on foot.
Mr Ferreira was standing beside a crash barrier when he was struck by an unmarked Garda car. Photos have emerged of the aftermath of the incident – in which Mr Ferreira is being treated for his injuries as he lies on the ground.
More than 200 people attended this afternoon’s march in Dublin – in which they demanded justice for Mr Ferreira.
One protester, who witnessed the incident, told The Mirror: “I was with Joao and some of our friends. We were following the motorbike that was stolen.
“It has a GPS tag on it and we were following it to recover it. We were just following with the intention of getting them to leave the bike.
“The garda stopped the two guys who stole the motorbike and they ran away. We were just walking and the situation got worse. The garda (car) hit Joao from nowhere. We did not expect this. I held my friend’s leg, intending to stop the blood.
“After 15 minutes, some paramedics came and then the ambulance and things were under control. They gave some medication to my friend Joao and then after that we went to Tallaght Hospital, where my friend is still there.
“He just woke up today – he was sleeping for two days because the accident was really bad. We are here for justice.”
GSOC says it is investigating and has appealed for witnesses to come forward.
The organisation said in a statement on Saturday: The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) is seeking assistance in its examination of a road traffic incident in Dublin.
“GSOC would like to speak to any witnesses who observed any incident, activity or interactions at this time and location. GSOC would also welcome the provision of any CCTV, dashcam or mobile footage witnesses may have captured.
“Anyone with information which may be of assistance is asked to contact GSOC at 0818 600 800 or info@gsoc.ie.” Gardai confirmed it had referred the incident to the watchdog.
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