‘GET HORROR DRIVER OFF THE ROAD’
‘ABSOLUTE HERO’ WHO SUFFERED APPALLING LEG INJURIES WHEN HE STOPPED CAR HITTING PEOPLE OUTSIDE PUB SPEAKS OUT:
THE man who suffered a horror leg injury after a car ploughed into people at a Cardiff pub has spoken a month on.
Andrew Niinemae stepped in when saw a car heading for the Royal Oak Pub in Whitchurch in June.
The 34-year-old BT engineer smashed the driver’s window and managed to stop it hitting a group of people.
He suffered serious injuries to his legs and cuts to his arm, and is now recovering and urging people to come forward one month after the incident.
Andrew Niinemae said: “Everyone has been brilliant. I shy away from a lot of it I guess, especially from the very beginning of it all because I didn’t really understand what I had done or how it all went about.
“Obviously, excuse the pun, it was 100mph. I couldn’t figure out how it’d gone from that to this.
“All my mates were absolutely quality. My family, they’ve all been really supportive.
“My wife, she was in Marbella on a hen week. She had to fly home early. She couldn’t stay there when she found out this has happened.
“She was all hands on deck because I couldn’t do anything for the first few weeks.”
South Wales Police officers attended Merthyr Road just after 12.30am on June 30, following reports of a dark-coloured car being driving deliberately at speed at a group of people.
A 27-year-old man from Ely was arrested at Gatwick Airport on July 4 on suspicion of driving the car causing grievous bodily harm.
He was brought back to Cardiff for questioning and is on bail pending further enquiries.
On Wednesday police said they are still appealing for witnesses and anyone who may have any CCTV, dash-cam or mobile phone footage to come forward.
Andrew said: “If anyone out there did hear of someone or know of him or anyone involved in that incident, they [have] got to come forward.
“Because if someone’s got the brass to use a car to cause harm to anyone they shouldn’t be out on the roads, they shouldn’t be out there at all.
“Any information to help the police officers to do there job, because they can’t do anything without any information. If they don’t get any information then these people run round free and that’s the last thing anybody in any community needs is people like that on the road.”
Andrew’s wife and mum-of-three Rhia said previously: “When Andy saw what was happening he managed to smash the driver’s window and pull the steering wheel but he caught his leg and was seriously injured.
“He had very deep lacerations to his legs and cuts on his arm. The doctors said it was very lucky it just missed his main artery. There was a crowd of around 20 people and it is luck that they were not hit by the car.
“I was on holiday in Marbella when I got the call to say he was injured so I got on a flight straight home.
“He is an absolute hero and I am so proud of him. There was a security guard outside Miss Jones who came to help him.
“She was fantastic and held his leg up and got padding until the ambulance arrived. She said she had been working for years and never seen such a serious injury.”
Speaking yesterday Andrew said he is recovering well and is soon to start physiotherapy.
Andrew said: “I’m getting loads better. I’m able to put a lot more pressure on my leg to walk.
“I can’t be on my feet for too long because my leg still swells.”
He added: “Lucky I’m a quick healer but it’s a shame I had to go through that to find it out.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact 101 or Crimestoppers annonymously on 0800555111 quoting occurence 1800239248