Stranger’s incredible act for domestic violence victim

AFTER spending two hours hitting her in the face, Amy’s partner stopped their car at an isolated Queensland petrol station, grabbed her by the hair, threw her out and left her stranded. That’s when a complete stranger turned her day — and life — around.

AFTER months of escalating domestic violence, the final act was brutal: Amy’s partner stopped the car at a Dalby petrol station at 4am, grabbed her by the hair, threw her out and left her stranded.

But this time, someone saw what happened to her. This time someone came to her aid.

For the first time, Amy (not her real name) was able to tell someone a secret that she had hid for more than a year from everyone including her mother.

“I did not notice the lady in a work car who witnessed all of this at the time,” Amy said of last week’s incident.

“I went into the toilet to try to stop crying and figure out what I was going to do.

“A dark haired lady in a hi-vis shirt … walked in.

“She was genuine, sincere, caring and her first words were, ‘you are loved, I will help you’.”

The dark-haired lady was Amanda, who had previously escaped from her own violent relationship and immediately recognised the danger Amy was in.

Amy said this act of kindness from a stranger had made her believe there were “guardian angels walking among us”.

But Amanda said the act was nothing out of the ordinary.

“I just did what anybody else would do,” she said.

Amanda was buying her regular pre-work coffee at the petrol station when she witnessed the brutal assault.

“I was just sitting in my car texting away and I saw a car pull up then all of a sudden I heard a yell and I looked at the car and saw a man get out,” she said.

“I saw him open up her door, he grabbed her with one hand by her hair and the other by the shirt.

“She was flung out by her hair and her shirt — she was literally airborne coming out of the car.”

Amanda watched the man drive off before Amy stumbled into the female toilets.

She followed Amy and found her in shock, with her face and nose bleeding.

Amy’s partner had been punching her in the right side of the face for the previous two hours as they drove home from his job.

Amy had driven to his remote worksite to pick him up but arrived late, sending him into a rage.

“Her face was all bruised and puffy and it looked like she had a broken nose,” Amanda said.

“I helped splash some water on her face.

“I talked to her and she was hyperventilating when she was talking.

“I asked her how I could her help and she said ‘there’s no one that can help me and that’s just the way it is’.

“I told her, ‘that’s not the way it is’”.

Amanda helped Amy call her mother. In that phone call, Amy told her mother for the first Amanda gave Amy the phone and $500 before arranging for her brother-in-law to drive more than 100km to drop Amy with her mother.

“I’m lucky that I’m in a financial position where I could help her,” Amanda said.

“I don’t feel like I’ve done anything above and beyond the normal.

“I’ve been a victim of domestic violence but I’ve since broken free and like to help others,” Amanda said.

For Amy, the money and the phone helped. But the real blessing of Amanda’s intervention was finally being able to tell someone what was happening to her.

“Someone actually told me that I was worth something, that they were there to help me,” she said.

“I’d never told anyone because I was too ashamed.”

She said she wanted Amanda’s employer to know “what sort of employee they had”.