A man has been left seriously injured after being dragged hundreds of metres by his own vehicle while attempting to prevent its theft in Sydney's south-west. The 43-year-old's clothing became entangled in the passenger front door as the carjacker sped away, forcing him to hold on for his life as he was dragged almost a kilometre.
Ordeal in Elderslie
The terrifying incident began when the man was carjacked as he left a dog park off River Road in Elderslie around 5:30pm on Sunday. Hanging from the passenger side of his own sedan, he was dragged 800 metres before eventually losing his grip outside a local fruit shop.
Shopkeepers come to aid
He stumbled inside, injured and in shock, where Camden Fruit Barn owners Steven Gugliotti and Chris Oliverio were closing up for the day. “The man’s walked up here and he was bleeding and he didn’t look well,” Oliverio said. “We weren’t obviously sure what was happening but we knew there was obviously a problem,” Gugliotti added.
The pair called Triple-0 and provided assistance while waiting for emergency services. “Gave him a banana, an orange, wasn’t quite sure what was happening,” Oliverio said. When paramedics arrived, they worked to stem bleeding from a leg injury before rushing him to Liverpool Hospital.
Police investigation underway
Police are now trying to determine why the man was targeted and whether the attack was random or more sinister. “It’s a dog park. People go there, you know, walk their dog. It’s a friendly place. You know, it’s bizarre that it’s happened there,” local Danny said. “I consider Camden a safe place. So yeah, it breaks my heart when things like this happen,” another local Jade said.
The man remains in hospital in a stable condition.
