Driver thought she hit a dog

She thought she had driven into a dog, but did not stop to check.

In fact, her vehicle had hit and fatally injured 30-year-old Steffan Pearce-Loe as he walked his dogs near the Gayhurst Rd bridge in Christchurch about 2.30am.

Pearce-Loe died overnight, a day later, from injuries sustained in the hit-and-run crash on July 5. A friend described him as a man with a lust for life and love for other people.

An ‘‘eagle-eyed’’ detective found the car two days after the crash, several kilometres from the scene.

The Press what the driver told police, but sources told The Press she said she thought she hit a dog.

Cottam said police had finished a scene examination and were waiting for several reports, including the Serious Crash Unit and forensics, before a decision would be made on charges. Police have six months to lay charges.

Pearce-Loe’s friend, Jeremy Teague, said the 30-year-old was a ‘‘highly experienced’’ bicycle messenger. ‘‘He rode tall, strong, fast and with skill and control.

‘‘His energy, intelligence, motivation, quirkiness, lust for living life, love of people and ‘Steffan-ness’ will be remembered for as long we all live.’’

Former Christchurch Mayor Garry Moore earlier paid tribute to Pearce-Loe in a weekly newsletter for the Tuesday Club. The club, based at Smash Palace bar, is a forum for residents to listen to and engage with the city’s innovators and leaders.

Moore said Pearce-Loe attended the bar on the night of the crash after attending a friend’s funeral. He eventually caught an Uber home before taking his dogs for a walk .

He described Pearce-Loe as a ‘‘young man who had life by the throat’’.