Dali Lee’s new struggle after Mount Gambier attack left him in coma

The father of five had tried to go to the aid of a person in distress before he was viciously attacked.

Danielle Malseed and her partner Dali Lee. Picture: Supplied

A Mount Gambier father has found himself a victim of the state’s housing crisis after he was left fighting for his life when he was attacked trying to save someone from suicide.

Dali Lee, who recently came out of a coma and is recovering from traumatic brain injuries, was attacked last month at Mount Gambier’s Cave Garden when he tried to talk a man out of taking his own life.

The Cave Gardens in Mount Gambier. Picture: Tait Schmaal

His partner Danielle Malseed said Mr Lee was near the Globe Hotel at Mount Gambier when he heard screams from someone who was threatening to jump.

Mr Lee, who lost his best friend to suicide last year, approached the man in an attempt to talk him down.

“Some people then came towards him, screaming at him and then attacked him,” Ms Malseed said.

The next thing Mr Lee remembered was waking up face down struggling to breathe. He was later found unconscious, covered in his own blood, in the parking lot of the Globe.

He had sustained multiple severe brain bleeds and skull fractures.

Dali Malseed, a chef from Mount Gambier, was attacked and left in a coma. Picture- Supplied

“It’s unimaginable that someone could leave him in that condition. He could have died,” Ms Malseed said.

“He constantly replays the incident in his mind, trying to make sense of what happened.”

While Mr Lee survived, the incident has made his family’s struggle with the ongoing housing crisis even harder to bear.

Before this devastating tragedy, the family of seven had been homeless “on and off” over the past three years.

Dali Malseed, from Mount Gambier. Picture: Supplied

“After covid, we lost our rental home and had to live in a caravan parked in my mother’s driveway,” Ms Malseed said.

“For some legal reason, we could not stay in a caravan with our kids for more than three months and had to move to Western Australia to my brother’s place and then to Darwin at my mum’s home.”

The cost of living and the housing crises forced them to return to Mount Gambier after selling off their valuables.

Ms Malseed said the medical battle made their living conditions even more difficult.

“We’re living at Dali’s mum’s now and we don’t have our own bedroom,” she said.

“He needs to sleep a lot and without a bedroom, that’s kind of not possible. And we’ve tried to stay in Airbnbs in between to try and give him some space, but we can’t really afford to do that anymore.”

The incident has left Mr Lee unable to continue his career as a chef, a job he dearly loved.

In a heartfelt GoFundMe post, Ms Malseed wrote, “He is undoubtedly the strongest man I know, and we remain committed to supporting his recovery, but we can’t do it alone.”

Since the launch of the fundraiser, Ms Malseed has raised almost $3,600, with more than 50 people contributing to the cause.

An SA Police spokesperson said the attack on Mr Lee was still under investigation.

To help support the family, visit Ms Malseed ’s GoFundMe page.

Originally published as Dali Lee’s new struggle after Mount Gambier attack left him in coma