A student in Dublin won’t be able to walk for at least six weeks after he was knocked down by a car and mugged by thieves.
Mexican national Alfredo Gallegos was walking his girlfriend to a bus stop close to their home in Beaumont when she told him she was nervous being out so late at night.
Alfredo remarked he too would feel nervous if they were back home in Mexico and out of the corner of his eye he noticed two people sat in a nearby car.
“Suddenly, about five seconds after that, one man left the car and he started to yell, ‘Give me your things, give me your things,’” Alfredo told Newstalk Breakfast.
Alfredo’s first instinct was to look after his girlfriend as the man came towards him, brandishing what he thinks was an electric taser.
“He approached my girlfriend first, so my first instinct was to grab my girlfriend and to try to stop him being a danger to her,” he said.
'That’s when they ran over me'
The couple tried to escape but they were not fast enough.
“When that happened, the man who was driving, put the car in reverse and that’s when they ran over me,” he said.
Immediately, Alfredo felt a searing pain in his leg and the thieves grabbed his belongings from his pockets; the robbers fled and Alfredo and his girlfriend were left alone in the street.
“A taxi came and, fortunately, he helped us,” Alfredo said.
“He called the Garda first and then the ambulance and then a neighbour appeared and he helped me.
“Then the Garda came after 15 minutes and the ambulance after 20, 25 minutes.”
Alfredo spent three nights and four days in hospital and the extent of his injuries are severe.
“In hospital they told me I had a broken leg, a fracture in the fibula and I won’t be able to walk for between six and eight weeks - but it could be a bit worse,” he said.
Love for Ireland
Despite his experience, Alfredo said he is aware violent crime is “not common” in Ireland and he still has a huge affection for the country.
“I work as a Dublin tour guide, I know all the Irish history, I know all the things that the Irish people have suffered through the centuries,” he said.
“So, it doesn’t change my point of view of Ireland; I love this country, I love this history and I’m very passionate about all Irish history.
“But psychologically, it has been hard the last few weeks.”
Gardaí are investigating the incident but Alfrendo thinks it will be “difficult” to find the perpetrators.
Although he is unable to work as a tour guide, he still has rent and medical bills to pay and is relying on his girlfriend’s income to make ends meet.
The couple have set up a GoFundMe page and if you would like to help you can donate here.
Main image: Alfredo Gallegos.
