Man who stopped drunk Amazon driver insists 'I'm no hero'

A man who broke his leg after grabbing the keys from an Amazon driver who went the wrong way up a slip road has said he is "no hero".

Stephen Messenger, from Oxford, was one of two men who tried to stop the van after it had hit multiple cars, but the driver attempted to escape with Mr Messenger hanging on to the side.

His leg was broken as he managed to remove the keys from the van’s ignition - bringing it to a halt.

Adrian Dumitrache, 36, was jailed for two years and 10 months after pleading guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and driving when above the alcohol limit.

Dumitrache went the wrong way up a slip road after travelling down the A34 southbound in Oxfordshire at about 11:45 BST on 21 June.

Mr Messenger said he initially got out of his car to check the damage after the van scraped past him.

"As I got out, the driver [sped] off. When I caught up to the driver's window and leaned in and said 'stop', he was off again."

Hanging on to the side of the vehicle, the 55-year-old was then caught between the van and an oncoming taxi, resulting in what he later realised was a broken leg.

"Just at that point I managed to get the keys out of the ignition, and he [Dumitrache] ended up in the ditch".

Reflecting on what went through his mind at the time, Mr Messenger said: "That he was a madman. I could smell the alcohol on him.

"If he'd have carried on going, he could have quite easily hit somebody else and killed somebody."

"I'm not a hero in the matter. But I'm glad I stopped him in his tracks," he said.

Mr Messenger said he was "shocked and surprised" he had received no contact from Amazon since the incident - calling it "absolutely dreadful".

He also accused the company of taking their "eye off the ball" when it came to the performance of their drivers.

An Amazon spokesperson said: "This was appalling behaviour.

"We have very high standards for our delivery service providers and this does not reflect the professional and dedicated people who work with them, delivering to customers across the country.

"In this instance, the driver was permanently prevented from delivering Amazon parcels as soon as we were made aware of the incident."

As a self-employed mechanic, Mr Messenger said he had barely been able to work since breaking his leg.

He is still receiving physio and may need knee surgery.

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