The chauffeur who was left with catastrophic injuries after a collision with a Rolls-Royce allegedly being driven by a mysterious Chinese heiress has been told he will never work again.
George Plassaras was behind the wheel of his Mercedes van in Sydney’s eastern suburbs when he was allegedly struck by 23-year-old LanLan Yang’s $1.5million Tiffany blue Rolls-Royce Cullinan.
The impact caused Mr Plassaras to suffer a broken spine, two broken hips, two broken femurs, a torn-open abdomen, a ruptured spleen and other life-changing injuries.
The 52-year-old was left needing a complete right hip replacement, a right knee replacement, and requiring extensive rehabilitation which could go on for years.
Mr Plassaras, who regularly drove for radio host Kyle Sandilands, was initially taken to the intensive care unit at St Vincent’s Hospital and has been undergoing treatment at a Sydney rehab facility.
He will not be able to return to his rented unit – where he lived alone in the eastern suburbs – because it would require too many modifications and he would not be able to climb the stairs.
A fellow hire car driver who has been in contact with Mr Plassaras told the Daily Mail: ‘He’s never going to be able to work again.’
Another industry figure who has spoken to Mr Plassaras confirmed his employment prospects appeared bleak.
George Plassaras, the chauffeur who was left with catastrophic injuries after a collision with a Rolls-Royce allegedly being driven by wealthy heiress LanLan Yang, has been told he will never work again
Mr Plassaras (above) was behind the wheel of his Mercedes van in Sydney’s eastern suburbs when he was allegedly struck by LanLan Yang’s $1.5million Tiffany blue Rolls-Royce
‘He has lost his livelihood,’ they said. ‘His whole world has changed completely and he’s on his own. He’s got no one.
‘He said, “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to work again”. And if he does, he says it would not be for a very long time.’
While Mr Plassaras continues his slow road to some sort of recovery, Yang has made no statement about the crash or publicly expressed concern for his welfare.
Daily Mail has been told by associates of Mr Plassaras they are unaware of the mysterious Yang making any attempt to contact him.
Yang, who keeps a second Rolls-Royce at her Watsons Bay home, has been going about her life, albeit on strict bail conditions including a 9pm to 6am curfew.
She has been spotted being chauffer-driven around town and was recently photographed having a long lunch at a harbourside restaurant with a friend.
Mr Plassaras, who runs Dakota Limousines, had just started work when his van was allegedly struck by Yang’s Rolls-Royce on New South Head Road, Rose Bay, about 3.20am on July 26.
He was trapped in the wreckage of his Mercedes and could be heard yelling for help as police and Fire and Rescue NSW worked to free him from the crushed vehicle.
Yang (left) has been spotted being chauffeur-driven around town and was recently photographed having a long lunch at a harbourside restaurant with a friend (right)
While Mr Plassaras continues his slow road to some sort of recovery, LanLan Yang (above) has made no statement about the crash or publicly expressed concern for his welfare
Yang emerged from the crash unscathed and was charged with causing bodily harm by misconduct and refusing or failing to submit to a breath test.
Since the crash, stories about Yang have gone viral in Australia and China due to her extraordinary designer wardrobe and apparent enormous wealth.
A Daily Mail reporter confronted Yang on July 30 after she reported to Rose Bay police as part of her bail conditions.
Yang was asked how she would plead to the charges, how she could afford two Rolls-Royces and if she had any reaction to hearing a list of Mr Plassaras’s terrible injuries.
She did not respond to the questions.
We approached Ms Yang again on August 13 as she exited a Double Bay bank after withdrawing wads of $50 notes from an ATM.
With her face hidden behind a mask and flanked by her chauffeur, she once more refused to answer any questions.
When Yang’s case was first listed on August 15, scores of onlookers queued outside Downing Centre Local Court to get a glimpse of the young woman.
Mr Plassaras had just started work when his van was allegedly struck by Yang’s Rolls-Royce on New South Head Road, Rose Bay, on July 26 about 3.20am
Yang was allegedly driving this Tiffany blue Rolls-Royce Cullinan when she smashed into a van driven by George Plassaras, the chauffeur for Kyle Sandilands
She disappointed the curious crowd by not coming to court in person and appeared via audio-visual link from her lawyer’s office instead.
Yang was later hit with two fresh charges: dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm – an offence which carries a maximum penalty of seven years in jail – and not giving particulars to police.
Mr Plassaras has not spoken to the media since an interview with Sandilands on July 30.
‘I’ve got no right hip,’ he said. ‘It’s totally gone. I’ve just been lying flat since Saturday, since the accident.
‘After the hip (surgery), I’ve got to do my right knee, they’ve got to check my X-ray for my spine, once I do my hip. There’s a long list of injuries.’
Sandilands has previously described Mr Plassaras as the ‘greatest employee ever’.
‘What did [he] say when he was taken away in the ambulance?’ he told his Kyle and Jackie O Show audience the day after the crash.
‘He asked for his mobile phone so he could do what?’
Since the crash, stories about Yang (above) have gone viral in Australia and China due to her extraordinary designer wardrobe and apparent enormous wealth
‘This is a guy at 4.30 in the morning after he has been cut out of his vehicle, he’s been trapped in his van for an hour, this poor bloke.
‘And he asks the ambo: “Get my phone so I can make sure Kyle’s all right for the week.”‘
A GoFundMe launched by the NSW Hire Car Association raised $8,620 for Mr Plassaras and after platform fees were deducted $8,413.86 was paid to him.
‘George now faces a heartbreaking journey ahead with catastrophic injuries from head to toe,’ association founder and appeal organiser Simon Kalipciyan said.
‘A man who dedicated his life to safely transporting others now can’t even walk.
‘The man who spent years ensuring others reached their destinations safely now faces the frightening prospect of not knowing if he’ll ever walk normally again…’
Mr Kalipciyan said Mr Plassaras’s van had been written-off in the collision.
‘The vehicle that represented years of hard work, pride, and his means of earning a living is now scrap metal,’ he said.
‘Without income and facing mounting medical bills, George is confronting financial devastation on top of his physical trauma.’
Mr Kalipciyan said Mr Plassaras faced mounting bills for rehabilitation, treatment, home modifications and mobility aids as well as basic living expenses.
‘George never asked for this,’ he said.
‘He was simply a hardworking professional who took pride in providing excellent service to his clients.’
Yang has not entered any pleas and her lawyer has not responded to requests for comment. She is due back in court on September 26.
