Quick response saved injured man - family

Relatives of 24-year-old Jamere Turner say he may have drowned in his own blood if not for quick intervention. File photo / Martin Sykes

The victim of an alleged hit-and-run in Tauranga yesterday could have drowned in his own blood but for speedy attention, a family member says.

Jamere Turner, 23, suffered severe head and facial injuries when he was hit by a vehicle on his cousin's Edgecumbe Rd driveway about 4am.

His cousin, who did not wish to be named, told the Bay of Plenty Times Mr Turner had just travelled from Te Kuiti to attend her child's first birthday.

He had stayed on after the party to have a few drinks.

She said she watched in horror as the car struck Mr Turner and then ``booted'' up a steep grassy bank to get back to the road.

She thought her cousin was dead at first.

"It was just the way his body was lying, the blood, the gurgling. The way his stomach was convulsing,'' she said.

"If we had not seen him, he would have been left there to drown in his own blood.''

Mr Turner suffered cuts to his head and had six teeth knocked out after he broke his jaw on the bonnet of the car.

A 19-year-old man has been charged with assault and is due to appear in Tauranga District Court today.

Mr Turner was in a serious but stable condition in Tauranga Hospital's intensive care unit, a hospital spokeswoman said.

- NZPA