Coventry taxi driver deliberately mows down passenger on Christmas Eve Victim faces five months off work with a broken leg and a badly dislocated ankle
A taxi driver left a passenger with a broken leg and a dislocated ankle in a Christmas Eve hit-and-run in Coventry.
Declan Harkin needed emergency surgery and spent Christmas morning in hospital after being deliberately mown down by the cabbie in Holbrooks.
The 24-year-old builder now faces five months off work and a long road back to recovery.
Declan believes the cabbie drove at him because he thought he was about to do a runner without paying.
Declan’s Christmas from hell started at 2.45am on Wednesday when he was in a taxi heading for home in Roland Avenue, Holbrooks.
He said: “I was heading towards this side of town in the taxi and asked the driver to pull in by the Shell garage in Holbrook Lane so I could buy a few things.
“Then I came out and indicated to the driver I was going round the corner to go for a wee and he must have panicked and thought I was going to do a fast one.
“He then mounted the kerb and came at me - I thought I was safe on the path and it happened in a split second.
“I looked at my leg and couldn’t believe what I was looking at - I could feel my foot flapping behind me.
“He knew he had hit me and I managed to shout something at him, he shouted something back, realised what he had done and drove off.”
Declan’s foot had been so severely twisted that it was nearly pointing backwards.
He had half a dozen screws inserted in to his broken right leg and was also sent home in a protective boot on his left leg which was badly sprained and may also need future surgery.
His injuries mean that he now faces a five-month lay-off from work and it will be months before he will be taking to the Gaelic football pitch again, which he plays for Coventry side Four Masters.
“The doctors wanted to keep me in, but I wanted to come home on Christmas Day,” said Declan.
“I haven’t seen the X-rays of my leg as I just didn’t want to look at it.”
His elder brother JJ, who was first on the scene, said: “When he first rang me I thought there had been a stabbing.
“Then I got there and saw it was a leg injury and it was a bit of a relief in a way, even though it was so bad.
“His foot was basically back-to-front - this was clearly more than just an accident. It was a hit-and-run.
“I rang the ambulance, which came very quickly, and then it was a case of making him comfortable and getting a cushion to put under his head.”
West Midlands Police confirmed that the incident has been reported to them and that they were investigating.
Anyone with information can call officers on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
source:
http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/c ... ws-8357563
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