Mr Gasnier woke up in Waikato Hospital's intensive care unit unable to communicate with a tracheotomy in his throat, two broken collarbones, a fractured pelvis, almost all his ribs broken, collapsed lungs and an injury for which he will need corrective surgery next year.
He spent nine weeks in hospital going from intensive care to high dependency to trauma and finally rehabilitation and Mr Gasnier said he and his family were so grateful to Waikato Hospital staff that they planned to take a gift in next week to show their appreciation. "You couldn't have paid for better care."
The father-of-four adult children said he didn't think about what he was doing when he chased the men out of the store that day.
"It's just a spur of the moment thing that you did without thinking. It's just a reaction and you don't think about the consequences." He was not angry with the four alleged offenders, the last of whom was arrested on Thursday, and neither did he hold a grudge against the passing driver.
Mr Gasnier's wife Glynis and one of their sons met the driver who was "still very traumatised" by the incident. "It's just one of those unfortunate accidents. They met with him to try and say there's no grudge or anything."
During the first few days in hospital Mr Gasnier developed a chest infection which put his life at risk and by the time he went home two weeks ago on crutches, he had lost 10kg and most of his upper body strength. "It was looking grim but the good thing is I don't remember any of that. The family ... were certainly shook up."
It has been a long recovery and will be at least March before Mr Gasnier can go back to work, something he is really looking forward to, but he has surpassed the doctors' expectations by making it home for Christmas.
ACC has picked up the tab for Mr Gasnier's recovery, paying 80 per cent of his wages and for treatment including physiotherapy to help rebuild depleted muscle tone.
From Hampshire in England, Mr and Mrs Gasnier moved to Cambridge 16 years ago and the couple have been overwhelmed with the community support they have received.
"It has been unbelievable. It's just humbling. It just proves how much good there is in the community and there's a lot of people out there who do care."
Mr Gasnier owned a copy centre and Lotto shop in Cambridge for six years and customers there and at Liquorland had signed cards.
Food was left at Liquorland for Mrs Gasnier while her husband was in hospital and petrol vouchers had been sent anonymously to the family.
At Liquorland the latest "Jack" bulletin reads: "He's home", while the family felt so touched by the support they placed an advertisement in a local newspaper to thank everyone.
Mr Gasnier praised Detective Scott McDougall of the Waipa CIB for his dogged determination in tracking down the culprits.
An 18-year-old man, already serving a term of home detention, was arrested this week and appeared in the Hamilton District Court on a charge of dangerous driving causing injury.
"It's good that we've now got closure on that," Mr Gasnier said of the arrest. "You can't be angry at them. Almost certainly they'll end up with a criminal conviction and although they probably don't think of that for the moment the impact on going overseas or something like that will hit home in the future for doing something so stupid."
