Racehorse owner vows to stop high-speed chases after horror crash
RACEHORSE owner Bert Vieira has vowed to dedicate his life to stopping police high-speed pursuits after his wife was left in a coma from a horrific crash with a highway patrol car.
NSW
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RACEHORSE owner Bert Vieira has vowed to dedicate his life to stopping police high-speed pursuits after his wife was left in a coma from a crash with a highway patrol car.
“My wife of 43 years is still in a coma,” said the owner of super sprinter Trapeze Artist.
“She has three busted ribs, a punctured lung, a damaged knee, ankle, elbows and shoulder and brain trauma.”
He said doctors had told him 58-year-old wife Gai’s, chances were “lineball”.
“How would you feel if your wife was hit because of idiots driving at high speed,” he said. “This has got to stop.”
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Mrs Vieira was critically injured when her black Mercedes was hit by a speeding highway patrol car as she turned right out of Connels Road onto the Kingsway in Cronulla at noon last Wednesday.
Mrs Vieira took the brunt of the crash, a three-year-old boy in the back of the Mercedes was uninjured and the male senior constable driving the police car was treated for facial injuries.
“I will dedicate my life to stopping these pursuits,” said Mr Vieira.
“Brisbane and Melbourne have stopped them except for major crimes. Why do we still have them?”
“We are asking today why police are chasing people for being on a mobile phone?”
Contrary to reports at the time, Mr Vieira said eyewitnesses had told him the police car had no lights or sirens on as it U-turned and sped after a driver using their mobile phone.
“We have 40kph speed limits in school zones, 50kph limits in built up areas but the police can do whatever they want.
“I have asked the Deputy Police Commissioner and the Commissioner who is at fault for authorising this mobile phone operation. All the Deputy Commissioner wants to do is tell me the process.
“I don’t care about the process, I want my wife back.”
After the accident trainer Gerald Ryan scratched one of Mr Vieira’s horses straight after the accident. But Trapeze Artist has run since and is still on track to race in The Everest next month.
“I go home at night, I walk in my house and I can’t deal with it,” Mr Vieira said.
“How would it be if it was your wife, your daughter, your son, your husband?
“This happens because police think they are above the law.”
“No siren, no lights — she never saw it coming,” the shattered husband said, momentarily pausing to collect himself as family members consoled him.
“She never stood a chance.
“This should never have happened,” Mr Vieira said.
“Other states have banned all this chasing because its cost lives.”
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said her thoughts were with the Vieira family.
“I can only imagine if a loved one was the innocent victim of such an incident how we’d all feel and my heart goes out to that family,” she said.
“I want to assure them and the community that the police aren’t leaving a stone unturned in relation to investigating the matter and if there’s anything the police or the state government needs to do, we will.
“It’s difficult to imagine how anybody would feel if someone they loved fell victim to such an incident and we need to make sure firstly that we let police do the investigation but also if there’s any action to be taken after that then of course we will.
“Our thoughts are with the family — we’re so deeply sorry for what’s happened and if that was a loved one of ours we would feel exactly the same.”