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The wife of a man brutally beaten by a group of street racers fears their four children may never have their dad back as they knew him due to the extent of brain damage he may have suffered.
Mark MacLean was viciously attacked on Friday night on the driveway of his home on the corner of Falls Rd and Hudson Rd in Warkworth, north Auckland around 11.30pm. He is now in hospital in an induced coma and in a critical but stable condition.
His wife Dereda Lipsey-Maclean said he had earlier that night been in a verbal and physical fight with someone after street racers started doing burnouts outside their home. All the cars in the area left and she told Mark to go for a walk to cool off after the dispute.
The next thing Dereda heard was one of her children screaming that there had been another fight.
“I went out there to find my teenage boy holding Mark’s head in his arms. They had come back,” she said.
While Dereda did not see the attack, she said she was told the person Mark fought earlier had returned and brought two more people and weapons to the scene.
“He could walk afterwards but he couldn’t talk, he was just moaning and holding his head and side,” she said.
“I honestly feel like I am in a nightmare that I just can’t wake up out of.”
Dereda said she believed the street racers shot Mark with an airsoft gun which injured his shoulder and cheek. He also had injuries to his head and eye.
“Because it was the left-hand side that they attacked it [could] affect his speech, his memory, possibly [his] personality and the right-hand side of his body movement. He also has a fractured jaw that needs to be fixed and his eye socket was damaged but his eye hasn’t been affected,” Dereda said.
Mark’s family will know more about the extent of his brain damage as doctors begin to ease sedation in about 48 hours.
Dereda also wants answers as to who attacked him and why they attacked him.
“Why? Just why would you do this to someone? He would take his shirt off his back for anybody, he doesn’t even harm a bloody flea. Why would you do this? You’ve just destroyed a family’s Christmas,” she said.
“He’s not going to be out before Christmas. We’ve got four children, our youngest is six, and they may not get their father back that they knew before.”
Mark MacLean and his wife Dereda Lipsey-Maclean. Photo / Supplied
She said Mark is an amazing husband and father who was a keen surfer, DJ and roofer. He also comes from a large family and is one of seven children.
A police spokeswoman told the Herald today that no arrests have been made yet and police are still seeking information over the serious assault to establish what happened and who is responsible.
Meanwhile, a Givealittle page was set up by a friend of the family seeking support.
“We are wanting to raise some funds for Dee and her kids as her husband Mark was critically injured after an altercation in Warkworth last night with some drag racers,” the post said.
“Mark is in hospital in an induced coma and has suffered some brain injury - it is not known yet how much damage is done and how long the recovery will be but it is likely to be lengthy.
“We are wanting to take some of the financial pressures off the family while they deal with the tough road ahead.”
As of 10am today, 150 donors had given more than $10,000 through the page.
Mark was found shortly after, seriously injured on the side of the road, and was transported to hospital.
Rodney local board member and local road safety campaigner Geoff Upson was horrified and disgusted to hear of the incident.
He told the Herald, having grown up in the area, that he’d never thought to see this level of violence in the community.
“The world has changed and now you get beat up and potentially even killed,” he said.
“It’s certainly not the type of area we want to live in and promote. It’s pretty bad.”
The police spokeswoman said “emergency services were called to the intersection of Falls Road and Hudson Road about 11.30pm (on Friday) after a report of a verbal altercation between a man and a group of people in vehicles”.
Upson had a simple message for those responsible - “turn yourself in”.
“Even if you were not involved, because I understand it was quite a large group of people, just get in touch with the police and give them some information,” he said.
Police are asking anyone with information on how the man came to be injured to come forward and speak with them by contacting 105 and quoting the file number 221210/6559 or by making a report online using Update My Report. Information can also be shared anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
Anyone in the area around Falls Rd and Hudson Rd who witnessed vehicles driving dangerously around the time of the incident and may have information about them or those driving is also asked to contact police.
