Deliveroo rider seriously injured by Garda car on M50 recovering ‘slowly’

A Deliveroo rider who was seriously injured by a Garda car on the M50 on Saturday is recovering “slowly”, his girlfriend has said.

João Ferreira (23) lost part of his right leg in the incident and was among a number of Brazilians who were trying to assist a friend recover a stolen bike on Saturday afternoon by following its tracking device when the incident happened near junction 11, Tallaght.

“[Tallaght University] Hospital has been amazing, really good…the nurses, the doctors, everyone. They are very caring and concerned about improving João’s health conditions,” his girlfriend, Júlia Langneck (22), told The Irish Times.

Mr Ferreira’s father, Anderson Farias, is the mayor of São José dos Campos, and is flying to Ireland to be at his son’s side. His mother, Sheila Thomaz (47), from southeastern Brazil, arrived in Dublin on Sunday morning after hearing that her son was seriously injured.

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The Brazilian ambassador to Ireland, Marcel Fortuna Biato, spoke to The Irish Times on Wednesday, saying the Mr Ferreira incident was a “tragic and a sad event to happen”. The Brazilian embassy in Dublin has released an official statement to the community saying they was aware of the incident and was supporting Mr Ferreira’s family.

“We have the interest and intention in demanding an in-depth investigation on this, which will help reinforce that the Brazilian community is well regarded in Ireland,” Mr Fortuna Biato said.

The ambassador spoke to Brazilian vice-president Geraldo Alckimin and public authorities, and said the incident had received a lot of attention in the Brazilian media. “Ireland is well known in Brazil, particularly among young professionals and students. It is a place seen as a dream where people go to make a dream come true. He comes from an important city in Brazil where his father is the mayor, who is now on his way [to Dublin]. So there’s been a lot of repercussions in Brazil.”

Mr Fortuna Biato is in Brazil at the moment. He plans to arrive in Dublin next Sunday, when he intends to be with Mr Ferreira’s family and his father Mr Farias.

Mr Ferreira’s friend, who was at the scene of the incident, told The Irish Times that the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (Gsoc) had begun contacting those who were at the scene, and an investigation was ongoing.