A young woman who was nearly killed by a drunk driver who slammed his pickup into a crowd outside a West Australian pub has spoken out about her miraculous recovery.
Georgia Moloney and her friend Alexis Tate were hit and pushed against a wall by a ute driven by Benjamin Lawrence Bryne-Quinn outside the Crown Hotel Collie in October 2020.
The truck drove into the bar with such power that the wall partially collapsed, leaving a gaping hole in the brickwork, according to photos from the site.
Miss Moloney, who was 23 at the time, was rushed to the Royal Perth Hospital’s intensive care unit, where she was expected to die.
Due to the severity of her abdominal wounds, doctors had to wait seven weeks to sew her abdomen together.
She went into a coma during her rehabilitation in intensive care and told 7News she wasn’t sure she’d make it.
‘I recall flat lining and having an out-of-body experience numerous times, telling myself ‘no, not yet, you got this far,” she added.
“I won’t make it, please tell mum and dad I love them,” I recall thinking.
Miss Moloney underwent 16 surgeries to repair her injuries and underwent five months of rehabilitation before being able to walk again.
Bryne-Quinn is due to be sentenced for the incident, but she has been given permission to drive until then.
Miss Molney recalled how terrible the incident had been for her, and claimed the news that Bryne-Quinn was allowed to continue driving added to the anguish.
Bryne-Quinn admitted to being the driver of the car that hit Miss Moloney and Miss Tate.
For the past 18 months, Bryne-Quinn has been allowed to drive while awaiting sentencing. He might face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
On Monday, he will be sentenced.