Driver hit elderly pedestrian and didn’t help

when a man reversed his car and struck the woman.

Geelong Highway Patrol Sergeant Darren Murphy said the driver stopped to briefly check if the woman was stable, but then quickly fled the scene, leaving the woman stranded on the road. The woman was taken to Geelong hospital with serious injuries including a broken collar bone.

Sgt Murphy said police were desperate to find the driver who had “failed to render appropriate assistance” after hitting the woman.

“It’s terrible behaviour. We would like to think if any person who has been struck by a car, certainly an 80 year-old lady, you’d want to render all assistance you can and help them as best as you can,” Sgt Murphy said.

“The driver of the car has certainly stopped and we believe he has hopped out of his car, had a brief conversation with the lady who was lying in the middle of the road, asked if she was OK and then hopped back in his car and driven off.”

Sgt Murphy said the driver should have immediately called police and stayed to ensure the woman was safely off the road and treated by paramedics.

“If you’re involved in a collision what you need to do is to stop, you need to render any assistance you can to the person that you’ve struck — whether it’s a pedestrian, whether it’s a another vehicle.

“You need to exchange names and addresses and, certainly then, if there’s injuries, the collision needs to be reported to police.”

Police believe the man was driving a white car.

Latest Transport Accident Commission data revealed 53 pedestrians were hospitalised after being hit by a car in Geelong between November 2017 and November 2018.

In the past 12 months, three pedestrians died after being hit by a car in Greater Geelong.

Police say witnesses rushed to the woman’s aid on Saturday but were unable to identify the man or his car. Anyone with information can call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.