Dublin man 'lucky to be alive' after 'unprovoked attack' leaves him with bleeding on the brain
A Dublin man has been left in hospital in Australia with a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain after an unprovoked "one-punch attack" there.
Derek Duffy, aged 26, was attacked in the early hours of Tuesday, April 18, while out having a meal with friends in Darwin.
His sister Tia described how she got a call from his friends to say he had been rushed to hospital after what she described as a "completely unprovoked attack" on her brother.
The 29-year-old model from Finglas said: "He’s been living in Darwin for the last three years and he was out with friends for some food. They were celebrating finding a new apartment.
"Someone just randomly attacked him from behind. They punched him in the head and he fell backwards and he hit his head on the pavement. That’s the last thing he remembers."
She also said two of Derek's female friends were attacked by his attacker's accomplice before they fled.
Police are using CCTV footage to help identify them.
Derek has been in intensive care for a week, but has now been moved to another unit in the hospital where he still has bleeding on the brain.
Tia, who is living in Toronto, said her restaurant manager brother would never be involved in any kind of argument.
She told the Irish Independent: "He’s not that type of guy at all. I’m just trying to understand why someone would do this.
"To be honest, I’m just livid about the whole thing. Every time I think about it, I just think, ‘How can someone do that.’ I wanted to raise awareness that if you throw just one punch at someone, you can kill them. I feel like he’s lucky to be alive. I’m just shell-shocked by the whole thing."
In the meantime, Tia hopes to fly out with her family to see Derek, while two of his friends, Lauren and Lisa, have set up a fundraising page to help pay his medical bills.
