Damian de Wit’s struggle after skull crushed by brick thrown through windscreen

THIS is what happens when a rock hits a car passenger. This is what idiots throwing rocks onto the Southern Expressway will eventually do to an innocent traveller.

Damien de Wit's injuries after his skull was crushed by a rock thrown at a car.

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DAMIAN De Wit has a simple message for idiots throwing rocks at cars on the Southern Expressway: Look what happened to me.

Still bearing the scars of a rock attack which left him in a coma for five days, Mr De Wit had to rebuild his life day by day over almost 14 years.

“When I wake up in the morning I feel like I have a hangover, ” he said of the ongoing pain.

The 38-year-old administration officer has broken his silence as another spate of rock-throwing attacks has caused fury in the southern suburbs, with police describing the perpetrators as “absolute cowards”.

There have been 43 reported rock-throwing incidents on the Southern Expressway since the start of the year.

Of those, police believe up to half are not rock attacks but debris being flicked up by other vehicles.

Asked by the Sunday Mail what he would say to six youths who have already been arrested or reported about the consequences of their actions, Mr De Witt said: “Just look at me”.

Mr De Wit, of Aberfoyle Park, was 25 when a thrown brick smashed through his car window while he was driving along Happy Valley Drive on January 16, 2005.

The brick stoved in part of his skull and put him into a coma for five days and resulted in several operations.

Mr De Wit has battled every day since the incident to return to normal life and, despite making enormous strides with the help of his family and through sheer determination, he says the pain continues.

“I have to drag myself out of bed and go to work,” he said.

“I’ve got a mortgage to pay. I’ve got a son to put through school. I’ve got the responsibilities everyone else has in life, but I wake up feeling like I’ve had 15 beers the night before, but I haven’t had the joy of those drinks.

“These people (the rock-throwers) could put someone else in that same position or worse.”

Rock throwing victim Damian De Wit with Police assistant commissioner Paul Dickson talking about the latest incidents at SA Police Headquarters. Picture: Matt Turner

While Mr De Wit was in a coma and then going through the painful first steps of recovery, he says his family bore the shock and anguish of his injuries more than he did.

“It wasn’t just me, it was my family as well. In fact, it probably impacted on my family more so than it did me,” Mr De Wit said.

“When you are the victim, you know what you are capable of and whether you can handle what is being thrown at you.

“For those around you, they don’t know what you are going through and they always fear the worst, so it’s harder for them.

“I talk to my mum – she’s the one who bore the brunt of the incident, she was the one who had to hold the whole family together.

“You can just see in her eyes. She knows how much pain those people would go through if they were to become a victim of what’s currently happening.”

Mr De Wit said the past 14 years had been spent recovering and trying to get his life back to normal so he could spend as much time as possible with his seven-year-old son Brayden.

“I’ve got a son, I’ve got a beautiful fiance, I’ve been through all the surgeries as far as I’m aware,” Mr De Wit said.

“I haven’t reached the level of employment I was previously but I’ll get there one day through sheer determination. I’m still alive, I’m still walking and talking, I’m a functioning, contributing member of society.

“I owe that to the doctors, to my family, to my own determination and to the community for their support.”

Damian DeWit in rehabilitation after being hit by the rock thrower. Picture: Heidi Lewis

Mr De Wit said stopping rock-throwing attacks was not just a matter of stationing police along the Southern Expressway.

“Having lived through the consequences, I don’t believe we should be stringing the perpetrators up or throwing rocks at them or doing heinous things to them to try and teach them a lesson,” Mr De Wit said.

“We need to try and educate these people on the consequences of their actions, not only on the victim but on the victim’s loved ones and family and those surrounding the victims.

“They are all potential victims. If they want a cheap thrill, go down and jump off a jetty – do something that’s not going to hurt anyone else – just themselves.”

Police Assistant Commissioner Paul Dickson described the rock- throwers as “absolute cowards”.

Damian DeWit in rehabilitation after being hit by the rock thrower. Picture: Heidi Lewis

The damage caused the the car Damian was in.

“You’ve got innocent and defenceless people driving down the road and minding their own business – taking their kids to sport or going to work – and these people are acting in a cowardly way and putting them in significant danger,” Mr Dickson said.

“I think the expression ‘coward’ is quite apt for the behaviour of these people. Once they throw that rock and it hits that car, there’s no coming back.

“We have all done things in life at different levels which we wish we had never done, but once you throw that rock, all the hope and all the will known to man won’t undo what’s been done.”

Police are tackling the rock-throwing on the Southern Expressway through a variety of ways.

“This is not just a policing, this is a whole-of-community issue,” Mr Dickson said. “There are 29 schools in that area and we are going through those schools and talking to all the kids. We are using social media to get the message out into the community, Neighbourhood Watch to drop letters as well as a new poster campaign.

“We are trying to continuously sell the message and create the conversation about this.”