Turkish Restaurant Manager Honoured as ‘Merton Hero’ After Saving Young Girl’s Life
By Alpaslan Düven – Exclusive Report
A Turkish restaurant manager who threw himself in front of a speeding motorcycle to save a young girl in Wimbledon has been honoured with a Merton Heroes Award by Merton Council.
The incident happened in Wimbledon on May 25, when a young girl ran across the road towards her father and suddenly found herself in the path of an approaching motorcycle.
Restaurant manager Onur İnci spotted the danger and, without hesitation, threw himself towards the child, managing to pull her out of the motorcycle’s path at the last moment.
The girl escaped the incident unharmed, but the motorcycle struck İnci.
He suffered serious injuries in the collision and spent several days in hospital receiving treatment. He sustained fractures to his left shoulder, which resulted in permanent damage. The motorcycle rider was also injured, although both injured parties were later reported to be in good condition.
“I didn’t do it to be a hero”
At a ceremony organised by Merton Council, İnci received the Merton Heroes Award from Merton Mayor Suli Saida.
Speaking at the ceremony, İnci said his actions were not motivated by a desire to be seen as a hero.
“There was an accident on May 25. In that situation, I made a move that any good person, any good father, could have made, and I was able to help a young child escape the accident unharmed.
“This is a recognition award from the council we are part of. I didn’t do it to be a hero. I simply saw a danger and did what I could to save a young girl’s life.
“I believe every good person would have acted in the same way in that situation. Standing by and watching was simply not something I could have done in good conscience.”
Mayor: “His courage saved the girl’s life”
Merton Mayor Suli Saida presented the award to İnci and thanked him for his courageous intervention.
Former Merton Mayor Stephen Alambritis, who also spoke at the ceremony, said İnci’s actions appeared to have been entirely instinctive and played a crucial role in saving the young girl.
Alambritis said İnci had seen the girl running outside the restaurant towards her father and immediately reacted when he noticed the approaching motorcycle.
He said the motorcycle had been travelling at approximately 20 miles per hour, adding that even at that speed, a collision involving a young child could have had fatal consequences.
“Without Onur’s brave intervention, who knows what might have happened to that little girl?” Alambritis said, adding that İnci’s actions should serve as an example to others.
“His reputation in the community was also taken into account”
Merton Councillor Meriam Hakim, who knows İnci from the restaurant where he works, said she had been deeply impressed by what happened.
Hakim said İnci had been nominated for the award not only because of his actions in saving the child, but also because of the strong reputation and respect he has built within the local community.
“I was afraid something had happened to my father”
İnci’s son, Fırat Tuna İnce, said he was extremely worried when he first heard about what his father had done.
“My father’s act of bravery initially upset me because I thought his arm could have been broken or that he might have ended up in hospital,” he said.
“Later, when I found out that his arm would recover, I was happy. My father got better, and I was also very happy that the little girl survived the accident.”
By putting his own health and safety at risk to save a child, Onur İnci has been recognised by Merton Council for an act of courage that has made him an example of bravery in the London community.