DOG WALKER ‘LEFT FOR DEAD’ IN CAR HORROR
DISTRAUGHT WIFE CALLS FOR DRIVER TO HAND THEMSELVES IN AFTER PETS KILLED
A GRANDFATHER-of-four was seriously injured in a ‘hit-and-run’ collision in which his two beloved dogs died.
Lisa Navesey said her husband of 24 years Lee, 53, was ‘left for dead’ as she urged the driver to ‘search their conscience’ and come forward.
Lisa, 49, said witnesses at the scene described a silver Audi A4 being driven away at speed.
Lee, a self-employed bricklayer, was walking home with his dogs, mother and daughter Crystal and Cindy, when the incident happened on Crompton Way in Shaw, Oldham, at around 6.30pm on Saturday.
He was rushed to hospital with seven fractured ribs, a collapsed lung, a bruised liver and a broken leg, Lisa said. She said her husband also suffered ‘a broken heart’ over the deaths of the black and white Shih Tzus, who she said were like his ‘best friends.’
Cindy, five, died at the scene. Her mum Crystal, who was nine, was rushed to an emergency vets but was later put to sleep.
Lee is said to be comfortable in hospital, but will need surgery.
Lisa told the M.E.N.: “We hope the driver is caught. To do that – to leave somebody for dead – is unthinkable. The dogs were Lee’s best friends. It’s just heartbreaking. I just want to appeal to anyone who knows what happened, or anyone who saw the car, to come forward.
“There was glass on the floor, so we think the car’s headlight was broken in the crash. Someone must know who has done this.” The couple, from Shaw, have three children.
Lisa told how Lee would walk the dogs on the same route every evening. They had walked from the ‘Wren’s Nest’ area up Crompton Way and Lee was crossing the road to go onto Siddall Street at the time.
“He went off on his walk and that’s all we knew,” Lisa said. “Then we get a knock on the door from a man who said a man with two dogs had been knocked over. The man [witness], we think, was a lorry driver and he rang for an ambulance.
“Lee was conscious at the scene and must have been able to tell him our address.”
Lisa ran to the scene and spoke to her husband. She added: “He said it was a silver car. We think it’s an Audi. They did not stop at the scene. Lee was just left to die.”
Police and paramedics attended the scene. Lisa said: “Lee has settled down now, but he is on morphine. He will need an operation but is as comfortable as he can be.
“Whoever did this stopped further down Crompton Way, looked back and drove away.
“What type of a person would do that? He’s a self-employed bricklayer so he will not be able to work for a while.”
In a statement, Greater Manchester Police said: “A 53-yearold man remains in hospital with serious injuries after being hit by car which failed to stop at the scene. Sadly two dogs passed away as a consequence of the collision, one at the scene and one later in the evening. Officers are appealing for any witnesses to come forward with information or dashcam footage by contacting police on 0161 856 8844 quoting incident number 2590 of 30/11/2019. Details can also be passed anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”