A dad-of-three from Mansfield was seriously injured after he was dragged through the streets while clinging to his stolen delivery van.
Costel Tablan was working in Doncaster on June 20 when his delivery van, containing 130 parcels, was stolen as he was delivering a parcel.
However the 42-year-old managed to grab hold of his van, via the door handle, and he was dragged along four streets before falling off.
He suffered a dislocated shoulder, three broken ribs, ruptured discs in his spine and required skin grafts on his feet following the incident.
Mr Tablan said: “It was a terrible moment. I shouted ‘stop or you will kill me, because I am not going to let you have this van.’
“I waited for a corner for him to brake, and held on to the door handle, but he tried to knock me into things on the street. I had to let go.”
His manager, Dave Richards, has now launched a fundraiser, after South Yorkshire Police discovered that the van had been set ablaze nearby.
He hopes to help Mr Tablan buy a new van once he has recovered.
“It could have been a lot worse," he said.
"The injuries are bad enough as it is, but he is lucky to be where he is.
“It’s a shock that there’s people out there doing things like this.
“I can’t imagine what he’s gone through with what happened, it’s not like he’s done anything wrong or tried to do anything dodgy, he’s just doing his job and someone has seen it as an opportunity to make money.”
Mr Richards said that Mr Tablan would struggle to get a new vehicle even with his insurance payout, and that any donations would be crucial in helping him get back to normality.
“It looks like he’s going to be in hospital for quite a while, and it’s even more stressful for him when he’s trying to recover, wondering how he’s going to get the money for a van,” Mr Richards added.
“The fundraiser will be massive in terms of getting him back on his feet and getting him back to work.”
South Yorkshire Police said their investigation into the incident is ongoing.
