Frank Staples: Irishman fighting for his life after horror one-hit attack outside Maccas just days after arriving in Australia
- Irishman Frank Staples was beaten outside a McDonald’s
- He was in Perth for a week before he was attacked
An Irishman who had just moved to Australia for a fresh start is now fighting for life after a sickening one-hit attack.
Frank Staples, 41, was attacked at about 1am on July 24 outside a McDonald’s on Beaufort Street in Perth.
His head hit the ground after being hit during a brawl with two men in their 20s. He suffered a cerebral hemorrhage as a result of the assault.
Frank was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital where he underwent brain surgery and was placed in an induced coma in intensive care.
Two men, both 22, have been charged with the assault, and one is due to appear in court next month for causing grievous bodily harm. The other has been charged with assault resulting in bodily harm and will appear in court at a later date.
He had only been in the countryside for a week after moving from Dublin to Perth before his family set up its new life Down Under.
Irishman Frank Staples (pictured), 41, is fighting for his life in hospital just a week after moving to Australia
Frank’s distraught sister Sarah said his and his wife’s plans “have been ruined by one blow.”
Sarah only found out what happened to her brother after waking up to several missed calls from her parents.
“My mom said, ‘Your brother had an incident, he had brain surgery overnight and he’s in the hospital in a coma,'” she shared. 7News.
Sarah said she knew it was “really serious” after her mother failed to assure her that Frank would “be okay.”
Frank’s father, Jim, his wife Jackie and Sarah have flown to Australia to be with Frank’s bedside.
His mother, Stasia, was unable to fly over due to medical problems.
Frank has since woken up in his bed after being in a coma for 10 days.
He has been taken off the ventilator and has a tracheostomy tube in place.
Doctors also removed part of his skull because of the swelling in his brain from the attack.
Sarah commented on the “positive signs” of Frank’s initial recovery, but said there was still a long way to go.
“He’s looking at us, but we’re not sure he really recognizes us,” she said.
“He’s making some progress in the right direction and we’re just trying to stay positive.”
Sarah (pictured center with Frank on the left) commented on the ‘positive signs’ of Frank’s initial recovery, but said there was still a long way to go
Jim and Jackie have indicated that they will stay in Perth until Frank is well enough to go back to Ireland.
Sarah has set up a GoFundMe page to help cover Frank’s medical expenses, along with the family’s flights, lodging, transportation, and food.
“We’ve had a lot of messages and calls from people, especially the Irish here in Australia, which has been so heartwarming,” she wrote on the GoFundMe page.
“If you want to help, this GoFundMe will relieve a lot of stress for my family.”
The GoFundMe page to support Frank and his family can be found here.