(Picture: Facebook)
The son of a Brazilian politician has had part of his leg amputated after being hit by a garda car in the Republic of Ireland.
João Henrique is the son of Anderson Farias, the mayor of São José dos Campos near São Paolo.
Brazilian media reports he had lived in Ireland for five years and was working as a delivery driver.
He was injured after a garda car hit him on the M50 motorway on Saturday afternoon, after Gardai received reports of a stolen motorbike in south Dublin.
A number of youths are alleged to have stolen the motorcycle in an armed robbery, and Mr Henrique was one of several friends who accompanied the owner to search for it, as it had been fitted with a tracking device.
Mr Henrique’s father, Mr Farias, confirmed his son was injured in a social media post.
He said: ‘With deep sadness, I share that my son, João Henrique, suffered a serious accident in Ireland and is undergoing surgery in the hospital.
‘The distance squeezes my heart, as I cannot be by his side at this difficult time. My wife is on her way to Dublin to provide support.
João Henrique was seriously injured in the crash (Picture: Facebook)
The garda car was responding to reports of a stolen motorcycle (Picture: Facebook)
The Gardai ombudsman is investigating (Picture: Facebook)
‘At this moment, as a father, I ask everyone to pray for my son, so that he finds the necessary strength and comes out of this situation even stronger.
‘I would like to thank everyone for showing their support for him. I will keep everyone informed as soon as I have more information.’
Gardai have asked that pictures or video of the crash scene aren’t shared on social media.
Mr Henrique’s right leg was amputated at the knee after the incident.
An inquiry into Mr Henrique’s injuries has been launched by the Garda ombudsman.
A spokesman for the ombudsman told extra.ie: ‘We received a referral from An Garda Síochána during the afternoon of Saturday, October 28, following a road traffic incident on the M50.
‘The referral was made by a Garda Superintendent under section 102 (1) of the Garda Síochána Act, 2005.
‘The matter is now under examination further to section 91 of the Garda Síochána Act, 2005.
‘As the matter is under examination, we will be making no further comment at this time.’
‘At this moment, as a father, I ask everyone to pray for my son, so that he finds the necessary strength and comes out of this situation even stronger.’
