A MAN who died after being hit by a truck while walking in Dublin last Friday was a Brazilian national seeking “a better life” in Ireland.
The victim, named locally as Romulo Cerasuolo, 34, was heading to work when the fatal collision took place on Ballyboden Way last Friday morning.
The 24-year-old, who was a native of Brazil, was tragically pronounced dead at the scene after the tragic incident struck at around 8:30am.
Mr Cerasuolo, who was working as a cleaner, moved to Dublin “in search of a better life”.
A truck was involved in the collision and no other injuries were reported.
The victim’s body was removed for a post-mortem examination and gardai carried out a technical examination of the scene while the road was closed on Friday.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to “help” his family return Mr Cerasuolo’s remains back to his home country, with over €10,900 of the €12,000 goal raised at the time of writing.
The Brazilian community in Dublin are pleading for funding support in a bid to help Mr Cerasuolo’s family to cover the cost to “transfer of his body to his homeland”.
They wrote: “Romulo was hit by a lorry on Ballyboden Way, Dublin 16, and sadly died on the spot.
“The news shocked the entire community, especially those who lived with him and knew his dedication, discretion and generous heart.
“Romulo came to Ireland in search of a better life, like so many of us.
“He worked hard, lived simply and always remained firm in his commitment to his family in Brazil, who are now facing not only the immense pain of his loss, but also the difficulty of paying for the transfer of his body to his homeland.”
They continued: “That’s why we’ve set up this fundraiser. Our aim is to help his family take Romulo back home, so that he can have a dignified burial, surrounded by the love of those who saw him born.
“The amount needed for the transfer is high – so every donation, no matter how small, will make a big difference.”
Mr Cerasuolo’s local community is now coming together in an effort to cover the cost of his repatriation.
‘REST IN PEACE’
The Brazilian Instagram page Irlandapontocom has shared the devastating news with the community, asking for their help in “sending Romulo back home”.
They wrote: “Family friends have organised a GoFundMe [fundraiser] to bring Romulo home so he can have a dignified burial, surrounded by the love of those who saw him born.
“Our condolences to his family and friends at this difficult time. Rest in Peace, Romulo.”
And the Brazilian community took to the comments section to share their condolences.
‘BIGGEST NIGHTMARE’
One said: “My heart bleeds… This is the biggest nightmare for everyone who has someone they love living far away. May God protect you. Rest in peace.”
Someone else added: “That’s so sad, Romulo was a very nice man! May God comfort the hearts of his family!”
A third one wrote: “Such sad news. May God give strength to family and friends to bear this pain.”
Gardai have asked anyone who may have witnessed the collision or who may have relevant footage of the area at the time to come forward.
In a statement, a Garda spokesperson said: “Gardai are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed this collision to contact them.
“Any road users who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) and were travelling in the area between 8:00am and 9:00am this morning are asked to make this footage available to investigating Gardai.
“Anyone with information is asked to contact Rathfarnham Garda Station on 01 666 6500, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.”
