Tributes paid to Brazilian man killed in collision with cement truck in Dublin

GERARD COUZENS

Tributes have been paid to a 27-year-old Brazilian man - after it emerged today he was the cyclist killed in a collision with a cement truck in Dublin on Wednesday.

Johnny Santos was on his way to an English lesson when he lost his life in the incident at the junction of Middle Abbey Street and O’Connell Street just before 1 pm.

Overnight, friends and relatives spoke of their grief as they launched a fundraising campaign online to speed up the repatriation of his body.

Johnny, from the seaside resort of Sao Vicente in the state of São Paulo, had been in Ireland for just three weeks after returning to his homeland briefly following a previous spell living in Europe.

Friend Kaique Santos, who is also currently in Dublin, said in an emotional social media message:

“Thank you for your company and your loyal friendship.

“Our laughter in the room and our plans will never be forgotten, brother.

“Entering the room and not seeing you complaining about the mess was a horrible feeling, brother.”

He added: “When I left home in the morning and you went to get bread, complaining because you were going to make lunch, I kept pestering you and we were laughing.

“I could never have imagined that, upon returning home, I would find the police with this news.”

Juliana Vieira, wrote: “May God receive you in his open arms, and comfort the hearts of all your loved ones.”

Another friend added: “My God Johnny. I can’t believe you’ve left us” before finishing her message with crying emoticons.

The dead man’s sister Isabela pleaded with people who had taken photos of the accident not to publish them, saying: “Anyone with a bit of feeling and empathy, I believe, would always want to remember him smiling, fooling around and cheering everyone up as he always did.

“That’s the memory we want to have.”

Fighting back tears in a video message from her mum’s home in Brazil, she said: “My brother had gone to Ireland to study and work.

“He’d been there for less than a month.

“I’m with my mum now and she’s in a total state of shock. A mum is never ready to bury her own son and to make the nightmare worse he’s a 12-hour plane journey away in another country.”

“The bureaucracy we’re facing trying to repatriate Johnny’s body is making everything more difficult.”

She also said her brother was 27, not 20 as some local reports have indicated.

In a follow-up message highlighting the online fundraiser that had been set up, she said: “Johnny, 27 years old, went to fulfil his dream of doing an exchange program in Ireland.

“Unfortunately, on April 1, he had an accident and passed away.

“The family is going through a very painful time and needs to bring his body back to Brazil, but international transport has a very high cost.

“We created a fundraiser to help with these expenses. Any amount already helps a lot.

“If you cannot contribute, please share so that this message reaches more people.”

Santos was on an electric bike when he was involved in yesterday’s incident.

Gardaí are appealing for witnesses to come forward, and investigations are ongoing.

Dublin Lord Mayor Ray McAdam has said his thoughts are with all those involved in the incident, and with the emergency services who were at the scene.

He added: “Incidents like this are a stark reminder of the need to keep improving road safety across our city for everyone who uses our streets.”