The driver behind a viral dashcam video of a little girl almost being hit by a car has spoken out for the first time, saying he’s thankful for online supporters.
Muhammad Danish was driving at 40km/h down a narrow street in the Melbourne suburb of Brunswick East when a young girl dashed out in front of his car.
Though he immediately slammed on the breaks the second he saw the girl, Mr Danish was unable to avoid knocking her to the road.
The girl’s enraged father ran after her, slamming his fist on the bonnet of the car before picking his daughter up.
Luckily she was not seriously injured.
Mr Danish said the girl’s father and neighbours quickly turned on him, despite him doing all he could to save the girl.
He told A Current Affair the dashcam was the only thing that proved his innocence.
“This video really saved my life because if police listened to the statements I could have been charged and (found) guilty,” he said on the program.
Though he stopped the car the second he realised the little girl was in his path, he says he wishes the incident didn’t occur.
“It was very hard for me for three or four days. I couldn’t do anything,” Mr Danish said.
“It kept replaying in my mind and my mind was just simulating the situation 100 different ways.”
The video of the incident went viral after it was shared by DashCam Owners Australia, with many who viewed it siding with the driver.
“If this guy was speeding would have done serious damage, lucky he was paying attention to the road, top work to the driver,” one person said.
Mr Danish said reading the comments helped him in the wake of the incident.
“Even police told me it’s not my fault. I was thinking I could have done something better to not hurt that girl, but people’s messages and comments really supported me,” Danish said.