On Saturday, a Brazilian Deliveroo rider made international news after he was seriously injured on the M50 when he was hit by a Garda car.
Joao Ferreira, a 23-year-old who moved to Dublin with his girlfriend five years ago to study English, was trying to help a friend recover his stolen bike using a tracking device when he was struck by a Garda vehicle on Saturday afternoon.
The young student was brought to Tallaght University Hospital where part of his leg was amputated the following morning during surgery. Ireland’s Brazilian community has responded with outrage to the incident and is calling for a full investigation into what happened.
They also say Mr Ferreira’s life-changing injuries could have been avoided if more was being done by gardaí to end the regular theft and vandalism of Deliveroo bikes.
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Joao Ferreira’s father, the mayor of the city of São José dos Campos in southeast Brazil, is also set to travel to Ireland calling for justice for his son.
How was Joao Ferreira so badly injured while trying to locate a stolen motorcycle? And what more can be done to protect Dublin’s food delivery riders from harassment and vandalism?
On today’s podcast, presenter Sorcha Pollak speaks to journalist Isabella Boechat, who is covering the story for The Irish Times, and interviewed Mr Ferreira’s mother and girlfriend following Saturday’s incident.
Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Suzanne Brennan and John Casey.
