- Grandmother Betty, 66, was due to perform in a Christmas parade when she was caught up in a deadly terror attack
- The driver, Darrell Brooks, deliberately drove into the crowd, tragically killing six people and injuring 62 others
- He has been sentenced to more than 762 years in jail for his heinous crimes
Here, Betty tells her story in her own words
As Christmas carols blared through the speakers, I was racked with nerves.
It was November 2021, and I was preparing to perform in my first annual Christmas parade as part of a troupe called the Dancing Grannies.
I’d joined them in May that year after I’d retired from a long career as a systems analyst and project leader.
Since I was a girl, I’d loved dancing and, aged 62, it seemed the perfect time to reignite my passion, not just for fitness but for forging friendships too.
I was welcomed by all the members, including Janice, the group’s longest serving Granny, and choreographer Ginny.
On top of weekly rehearsals, I was given a DVD of six songs and the moves to learn at home.
I practised until my body ached all over.
Now that the day of our big Christmas event was finally here, I was eager to get the show started.
‘You’ll be fantastic,’ my hubby Bob, then 69, said, as I kissed him goodbye.
My kids Lianne, 35, and Evan, 32, were busy that day.
I joined the other Grannies and we revelled in the festive atmosphere, as 60 groups eagerly waited to set off on the 1.6km circuit through the city streets filled with parade-goers.
At 4.20pm, as our first Christmas song hummed through the speakers of the van, we started busting our merry moves.
I’d never been so happy as the crowd celebrated with us.
Twenty minutes in, as our fourth song ‘Winter Wonderland’ by Bing Crosby started, the festive cheer around us was truly magical.
Only, moments later… everything went black.
When I came to, I realised I was in hospital.
‘You got hurt in the parade,’ Bob told me, adding I’d been in a coma for four days.
Dazed and confused, I had so many questions, but he dodged giving answers.
‘You just need to focus on getting better,’ he said.
I didn’t even know what my injuries were.
In my room several days later, after Bob had gone home for the evening, I turned on the TV to watch the evening news.
As horrifying images filled the screen, I stared in disbelief.
‘A man intentionally drove his SUV through a Christmas parade hitting 68 people, killing six,’ the news reporter said.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.
That’s why I’m in hospital, I realised. I’d been mowed down by a killer in a deadly terror attack. Turning the TV off, I was too distressed to listen to anymore.
The next morning, I confronted Bob.
‘We didn’t want to tell you until you were stronger,’ he said.
As he revealed the details of what happened during the horrific terrorr attack, I understood why.
That day, Darrell Brooks, 40, got behind the wheel of his SUV, and ploughed into the crowd and parade participants at around 48km/h.
A gut-wrenching fear bubbled inside me.
‘Who died?’ I stammered, terrified for my fellow Dancing Grannies.
‘Ginny, Lee and Tamara,’ Bob uttered, adding that Bill, our 81-year-old helper on the day, who was married to one of our members, Lola, also died.
‘I’m so sorry, love,’ he soothed.
I’d been hit by the car too, and suffered two fractures to my skull and a brain bleed.
‘It’s a miracle you survived,’ Bob said as I sobbed.
The killer had been arrested and was facing 76 charges, including six counts of first-degree intentional homicide with the use of a dangerous weapon. My heart ached for my Dancing Grannies and the other victims and their families.
Discharged from hospital after two weeks, I needed a walker as I battled vertigo.
I’d missed my comrades’ funerals, but at home, I was well enough to watch a memorial service our dance group held online.
Three months after the attack, I returned to rehearsals on my walker. Being reunited with the other Grannies warmed my heart.
Two weeks after that, I was well enough to start dancing again.
In October 2022, I heard the sentencing of Darrell Brooks, then 40, on the radio before practice.
For the Christmas terror attack and mass killing of my friends Tamara Durand, 52, Leanna Owen, 71, Virginia ‘Ginny’ Sorenson, 79, and Wilhelm Hospel, 81 as well as other performers Jane Kulich, 52, and Jackson Sparks, eight, he was convicted of six counts of first-degree intentional murder.
While no motive was given, prosecutors said Brooks deliberately drove into the crowd after having an argument with his ex-girlfriend.
He was sentenced for 61 counts of recklessly endangering safety with the use of a dangerous weapon, six counts of a fatal hit and run, two counts of felony bail jumping, and one count of misdemeanour domestic battery – and given more than 762 years in jail.
‘Justice has been served,’ I said.
To honour our Dancing Grannies, we made a pact to dance in the Christmas Parade the following year.
So in December 2022, with our fallen angels heavy on our hearts, the group gave it our all. And for the first time, I revisited the spot where the terror attack unfolded.
Glimpsing Bob as he stood with other parade-goers, they all saluted, placing their hands on their hearts.
My arms erupted in goosebumps as I beamed.
Love had conquered over evil. Our Dancing Grannies would be proud.
Now, three years on, there are times I struggle with sadness, but dancing has helped me to heal.
Those who lost their lives that day will never be forgotten.
