Brady Dermott Collins: Hit-and-run victim Grace Morrison filed restraining order months before horror night

Left broken and bloodied after her ex-partner ran her over, Grace Morrison is bravely opening up on her ordeal and sharing advice with others on breaking free from toxic relationships. The young Geraldton woman is speaking up after her former partner Brady Dermott Collins, 27, was jailed for two years last week in the Geraldton District Court over the hit-and-run. The physical and emotional toll on the 20-year-old woman has been enormous, but she wanted to share her experience to help others — and revealed a plea to the courts for a restraining order against Collins in the months before the episode had fallen on deaf ears. Ms Morrison said she felt “really positive” about the legal outcome. “I’m really relieved, extremely relieved, but shocked at the same time,” she said. “This has all been going on for a while now. “I do feel quite happy with the outcome. I do feel like it was justice. I got rid of him one way or the other. Because to be honest, if it wasn’t that severe, or if that didn’t happen that night, he would probably still be in my life.” On December 18, 2022, the on-and-off couple met at a local pub and travelled to another address, where they began arguing. Collins, a prolific local cricketer at the time, became upset with Ms Morrison, then 18, about her plans to travel interstate the next day. When she left, Collins followed her to another house in Utakarra in his Holden Colorado and beeped the horn several times, luring her outside. She saw Collins in the middle of the road dangling her handbag out of the driver’s side window and screaming at her. Ms Morrison approached the car to reclaim her bag. When she grabbed it, Collins pulled it back inside, causing her arm to fall into the car. She used her right hand to grip the roof rack and Collins accelerated heavily. Ms Morrison fell face-first onto the road and was dragged by the car before the left side of her body was run over. “I remember lifting my head off the ground and spitting my teeth out and looking up at him, and he’s just on the other side of the road, pointing at me, screaming, still under the street light, and then just sped off again,” Ms Morrison said. Neighbours rushed outside to help Ms Morrison, while detectives arrested Collins hours later, finding her handbag hidden in a closet. The court was told last week Collins sent Ms Morrison a text soon after the incident saying: “Now my car’s f...ed. Thanks.” Ms Morrison’s list of injuries was long and severe. She suffered a serious break in her left leg, multiple fractures in her jaw, a broken left shoulder blade, two cracked ribs, and a collapsed lung. She also lost three teeth and broke two others, forcing her to wear dentures. Ms Morrison’s recovery is far from over. In terms of physical rehabilitation, she completes daily exercises for strength and joint mobility. Soon, she will have surgery to remove the nail inserted in her leg because of the constant pain it causes her. She can no longer drive a manual vehicle because of the injury to her left foot and has become dependent on others. But it was the stress and fear that affected her the most, she said. “I work in a public-facing role, and just the unknowing kills me alone. Not knowing when I’ll see him or where he’ll be. That’s petrified me for almost two years now,” Ms Morrison said. “I hate that it’s all spiralled down to this, and it gives me a lot of anxiety about moving forward.” In her victim impact statement to the court, Ms Morrison said her self-esteem had dwindled, she could not eat certain foods, and she avoided smiling because of the damage to her teeth. Life is on the up, however, now Collins is out of her life for good. “If I’m honest, life is definitely a lot better than prior to the accident. Without Brady in my life, without that negative relationship, I do feel like my world has kind of expanded and I’ve really been supported to progress,” Ms Morrison said. “I’m working full-time, I’m spending a lot more time with my family, and as much as I keep my circles wide it’s strong and supportive.” Ms Morrison said Collins’ dependency on intimate partners was unacceptable. She was 15 when she first met him, and she said it was difficult to get away from him completely despite several attempts to end the relationship. She even admitted to filing a restraining order against Collins only months before the hit-and-run, which was rejected by the court. “I was requesting the restraining order because Brady and I had broken up, and it was just utter harassment. I couldn’t get away from him. He also had keys to my house,” she said. Ms Morrison encouraged other women who may be in an unhealthy relationship to listen to the advice of friends and family. “Believe people when they say they’re crazy, and just help yourself and get out as soon as you can,” she said. In court last week, Judge Gary Massey rejected Collins’ “completely inconceivable” claims he drove away because he was scared of being assaulted by Ms Morrison. He also concluded Collins showed a lack of remorse and did not accept his version of events that he did not know Ms Morrison was injured. Collins, who had cannabis in his system and had been consuming alcohol that night, did not stop to assist Ms Morrison and did not report the incident to authorities. He was sentenced after pleading guilty to dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm and failure to stop and will be eligible for parole after serving a year behind bars. 1800RESPECT 1800 737 732