New Zealand family of car crash victim in Perth seek exemption from border controls

Perth in Western Australia is closed to people from outside the state because of Covid 19 restrictions. A Kiwi family is seeking an exemption. Photo / Patrick McKendry

A New Zealand family are fighting to be allowed at the bedside of a relative in Australia who was seriously injured in a car crash.

Kay Sheehan, a mother of four, is in a critical but stable condition in Royal Perth Hospital after she was hit by a car outside her home in the suburb of Midvale on Tuesday night.

The car was being driven by her husband, and police are now investigating whether it was a deliberate act or an accident, 7News in Australia reported.

Western Australia's state borders are closed to limit the spread of Covid-19 - unless an exemption has been granted.

Sheehan's brother is already at her bedside in hospital, but her New Zealand family members have applied for an exemption from the border controls on compassionate grounds.

The Western Australian Premier's office confirmed to 7News that the exemption was being prioritised and would be "viewed favourably".

Sheehan, 31, was just outside her home when she was hit by the Nissan Pulsar driven by her husband at around 7pm on Tuesday. Photographs showed the car's windscreen had shattered from the impact.

Neighbours said they heard a car screech followed by a loud bang. They rushed outside to find the mother on the side of the road.

"It's not something you want to see every day," one of the neighbours said.

"I hope she pulls through because of those four little boys, you know?"

A man was assisting the police with their investigation, 7News reported.

Sheehan was injured outside her home in the Perth suburb of Midvale. Photo / Google Maps