A woman who was hit by her ex-boyfriend in a horrific collision has revealed that she had filed for a restraining order against him months earlier.
Grace Morrison, 20, was dragged several metres along a road near Geraldton, Western Australia, on December 18, 2022.
Her former partner Brady Dermott Collins, 27, was sentenced to two years in prison last Thursday during sentencing at Geraldton District Court.
Mrs Morrison has since spoken out about the appalling situation, saying she had tried to get a restraining order against him months earlier but was denied.
“I filed for the restraining order because Brady and I had broken up, and it was just plain harassment,” she told the Western Australian.
“I couldn’t get rid of him. He had keys to my house too.”
Mrs Morrison, who was in an on-again, off-again relationship with Collins at the time, met him at a local pub just hours before the collision occurred.
The pair traveled to another address, where an argument broke out.
Grace Morrison’s former partner Brady Dermott Collins, 27 (pictured), was sentenced to two years in prison during sentencing at Geraldton District Court last Thursday.
Mrs Morrison moved to another home in Utakarra, with Collins following her in his Holden Colorado.
He lured the then 18-year-old girl out of the house by honking her horn several times and dangling her handbag out of the window.
Mrs. Morrison went to grab the bag, but Collins, still holding her arm, pulled it back inside.
He accelerated as Mrs. Morrison tried to grab the roof rack with her free arm.
She fell face down and was dragged across the road, after which the car drove over the left side of her body.
“I remember picking my head up off the ground, spitting my teeth out and looking up at him. He was standing on the other side of the road, pointing at me and shouting, still under the lamppost, and then he just sped off again,” Morrison said.
Mrs Morrison suffered a broken jaw, a broken shoulder blade and two bruised ribs.
Locals rushed to her aid before she was taken to Royal Perth Hospital.
A few hours later, Collins was arrested by Western Australian police.
Collins pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm and failing to stop and render assistance.
Mrs Morrison expressed her relief at the prison sentence her ex-partner received.
Collins accelerated as Mrs Morrison attempted to grab the roof rack with her free arm
“I’m quite happy with the outcome. I think it was fair,” she said.
“I got rid of him somehow. Because honestly, if it hadn’t been so bad, or if that hadn’t happened that night, he probably would still be in my life.”
Mrs Morrison is still recovering from her surgery and relies heavily on her loved ones for help with daily tasks.
She can no longer drive, as she also suffered a serious injury to her left leg.
Ms Morrison admitted she still suffers from anxiety, even though she has moved on with her life almost two years after the toxic relationship ended.
She urged other women in troubled relationships to follow the advice of friends and family if their loved ones notice something is wrong.
Collins will be eligible for parole in 2026.
