The family of a Brazilian Deliveroo rider who lost part of his leg during an incident with a garda vehicle last week has said their "world stopped" when they heard of the incident.
The partner and parents of 23-year-old Joao Ferreira, told RTÉ News of their fears - as they separately confirmed they may take legal action if a Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) investigation does not fully explain what happened.
On Saturday 28 October, Mr Ferreira was one of a number of Brazilian Deliveroo riders who were travelling along the M50 in Dublin in an attempt to retrieve a bike which had been stolen from a friend.
During the journey, Mr Ferreira was seriously injured in an incident with a garda vehicle, losing part of his right leg.
Mr Ferreira's parents Sheila Thomaz and Anderson Farias, the latter of whom is a mayor in Brazil, have since travelled to Dublin to be with their son.
In a interview with RTÉ News outside Tallaght Hospital, which was translated by Mr Ferreira's partner Julia Langneck, Mr Ferreira's father said the family is shocked at what happened.
"They [Joao Ferreira's parents] didn't know what to do because the feeling is like you are powerless, what are you going to do, is he going to survive?," Mr Farias said.
"You don't know like what you would do in the moment, it's like the world stopped," said Ms Langneck, adding that when a friend called her "he was still on the road, on the M50, at the first moment I couldn't believe I thought it was a joke, and then I heard Joao screaming in the background".
As the incident involved a garda vehicle, GSOC opened an investigation into what happened.
"He [Anderson Farias] really wants to trust in the garda and they're going to do an investigation into this case because it's not normal what happened, not common," Ms Langneck said.
"The only answer we want to know is why the garda has done that."
Asked what steps they may take if they believe questions remain after the GSOC investigation, Ms Langneck translated Mr Farias's response: "He wants to take the legal action depending on how gardaí really consider the investigation of this case.
"He really wants to trust how garda do fair thing because we really want justice."
Mr Ferreira's family said he is due to undergo another operation.
"That's really what frustrates us because he didn't deserve that, and we don't understand why that happened to him," Ms Langneck said.
"He has a really good heart, and that's really frustrating and we don't understand why bad things happen to good people."
