EXCLUSIVE: The driver of an Uber that collided head-on with Broncos star Ezra Mam has spoken exclusively with 9News, recalling the moment he rescued his four-year-old passenger from the back seat.
Marcel Van Den Camp says he will need help to overcome the anxiety he now feels as a result of the crash.
The 64-year-old Brisbane man works as an Uber driver to “meet new people” and “put smiles on faces”.
He recalled the moment of the crash for the first time today.
“In a flash there was this truck that hit us. It was an almighty crash and I blacked out for a while,” Van Den Camp said.
He also recalled the frantic race to pull his four-year-old passenger from the back seat.
“The lady was saying, ‘I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe’, and I went holy moly, I’ve got to do something,” he told 9News.
“I tried the back doors, couldn’t open it, they were locked so I went back to my door, reached over to the back door on my side, unlatched it.
“So I got the girl out, they were pretty shaken to say the least.”
Van Den Camp said no one from the Brisbane Broncos had reached out to him.
“I have heard nothing, nothing from the Brisbane Broncos,” he said.
When the club was asked why no one had reached out to the Uber driver, 9News was told there would be “no comment”.
Van Den Camp hopes to get back to work soon but says the car he was travelling in is a write-off.
“I’m going to need some help getting over the mental hurdles that I’m experiencing, a bit of anxiety when I’m sitting in the car,” he said.
The four-year-old girl suffered a fractured hip and has returned to the Queensland Children’s Hospital for a follow-up appointment. She is said to be recovering well.
The family have booked an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon in a fortnight.
Mam allegedly tested positive to a roadside drug test following the crash and has since checked himself into rehab as police investigations continue.
