Police have arrested two men in relation to a brutal road rage attack which left 29-year-old Brock Prime fighting for his life after “five centimetres of his skull was crushed into his brain.”
Prime, a Gold Coast tradie, remains in a coma at the hospital following a vicious attack by a group of people on the M1 Pacific Motorway in Queensland, Australia, on Feb. 24, reported 9News.
Brock Prime (L) and a friend. (GoFundMe/Prime Family Support)
Prime sustained “life-threatening injuries” including skull fractures, brain damage, and a broken leg.
“His left side will be like a stroke victim,” Prime’s mother Donna told the Gold Coast Bulletin 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.
Police said 26-year-old Jonathan Lawrence from Surfers Paradise and an unnamed 27-year-old from Ormeau have been arrested and charged, each with one count of grievous bodily harm, police said in a statement late Sunday night.
Lawrence was not present in Beenleigh Magistrates Court today during the brief mention and his defence did not make an application for bail. He will be remanded in custody and appear again for another mention tomorrow, reported the Gold Coast Bulletin.
Detective Inspector Mark Thompson told reporters the incident began when Prime’s Subaru Forester station wagon came close to colliding with a white van on the M1 near Coomera, reported news.com.au.
A “cat and mouse game” then occurred where both vehicles started weaving through traffic in wet conditions on the motorway. The drivers of the two cars then pulled over on the side of the road and a physical altercation occurred, according to police.
“The actions of both of these vehicles were extremely dangerous,” Thompson told reporters, reported the news website.
Police allege that the group of men continued to attack Prime even though he was already knocked to the ground. The men then got back in the van and fled, leaving Prime unconscious on the side of the road, reported Gold Coast Bulletin. A 22-year-old man who was a passenger with Prime was uninjured during the incident, police said in a statement.
Queensland Police have released footage of the incident and continue to appeal to the public for more information.
According to Sunday’s statement, police were looking for up to 13 people, who fled the scene before police arrived, after a Subaru Forester station wagon and a white van stopped on the side of the motorway between Pimpama and Yatala around 9:30 p.m. and a physical assault ensued.
Donna said her son was the primary breadwinner for the family after her husband’s sudden passing last month. Prime had been working six days a week as a concreter.
“Brock’s been our rock,” Donna said.
“He’s been working six days a week so we wouldn’t lose our house because we’ve got younger kids who are still at school and uni.”
A family friend has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to support the Prime family. As of Feb. 26, approximately $15,100 of its $50,000 goal has been raised.
If you have information for police, contact Policelink on 131 444 or provide information using the online form 24hrs per day.
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