GET THE THUGS
Family’s plea as son fights for life after callous M1 attack
BROCK Prime moved in with his mother five weeks ago and was working 10hour days so the family wouldn’t lose their home after the sudden death of his father.
Today, the 29-year-old is fighting for his own life after thugs bashed him and left him for dead on the side of the M1 on Saturday night.
He was attacked with a metal bar – believed to be a tyre iron or crowbar – by about 13 people who were travelling in a white van at Yatala about 9.30pm.
Mr Prime’s black Subaru almost collided with the van about 14km earlier at Coomera and police said the vehicles played cat and mouse, swerving in and out of traffic.
Mr Prime, who had a passenger in his car, either pulled over or was forced off the road by the van.
Witnesses said he was then chased down the road on foot. After being knocked to the ground, Mr Prime continued to be attacked until the men fled, leaving Mr Prime unconscious on the side of the road.
His friend got away largely unscathed and was interviewed by police on Saturday night.
Mr Prime suffered a badly broken leg and serious fractures to his skull. Police believe it was a random attack.
“His left side will be like a stroke victim,” Mr Prime’s mother, Donna, told the Bulletin through tears yesterday. “Because he’s already had to take a quarter of his brain, five centimetres of his skull was crushed into his brain with dirt and concrete and stuff so they had to remove all that and clean it out so they know it’s already damaged.
“That’s why they know his left side will be done.”
Ms Prime said her son, who was in intensive care in Gold Coast University Hospital last night, became the family major bread winner last month, working six days a week as a concreter, following the death of her husband, Darren.
“Brock’s been our rock,” the mother of three said. “He’s been working six days a week so we wouldn’t lose our house because we’ve got younger kids who are at school and uni.”
She said the bashing had devastated Brock’s two younger siblings, Jonty and Daisy.
“Daisy said mum ‘I just can’t, not him too’.
Mr Prime will undergo surgery today to repair a compound fracture to his leg.
Ms Prime said the fight was on to get Brock out of a coma. “The quicker they can get him out of the coma, the more chance he has. The coma will be anywhere from four days to three weeks.”
Ms Prime said she could not understand how a group of people could be so violent to someone they apparently did not know. “I’m pretty overwhelmed. I can’t believe anyone would do this.”
Family friend Mia Walsh said: “What was done can only be done by a psychopath and this gang of disgusting people”.
“Our family is asking for anybody who has information to come forward to give us answers and justice for this cowardly act.”
Ms Prime said she was thankful to the people who helped her son after the attack. “I’ve met the most beautiful people who rang the ambulance and saw the whole thing. They saw them chasing Brock, they saw him running, and they said they called the ambulance and police and prayed with him.
“I hope he’ll pull through it. That’s what I keep telling myself. We need the little bugger ... we all do.”
Brock’s uncle Marty said the attack appeared to be random. “There’s no connection whatsoever there, everyone’s probably thinking there is because who acts that violently?
“It’s just a random attack. People can say road rage or things like that but clearly you’re not going to do anything to provoke a mini-van full of 13 people.”
Mr Prime’s family have set up a crowd-funding page: https://www.gofundme.com/ prime-family-support.
HIS LEFT SIDE WILL BE LIKE A STROKE VICTIM MOTHER DONNA PRIME