Witness says driver yelled at Christchurch hit-and-run victim before speeding away

Photo / NZ Herald files

A witness to a hit-and-run in Christchurch says the driver yelled at the victim before driving away.

Trina Watkin, who worked with the victim, told Newstalk ZB's Chris Lynch the man was hit so hard he flew over the car's bonnet.

"One of our barbers was walking across Clarence Street and a car sped up onto the median strip ... and he was hit with such force he went over the bonnet and flipped in the air."

"The lady, who was trying to catch the green light and ended up running a red one, she yelled at him after she hit him and then drove away."

"It wasn't a slow accident. She drove onto the median strip to fly down and get into the turning lane," she said.

"She was driving really quite fast when she hit him and for him to go over the bonnet and flip in the air, like all the witnesses described, she had to be going pretty fast."

Watkin said she took her co-worker straight to the hospital, where he was treated for his injuries.

"He came into the shop with one of the tradies who was working on the site next to the barbershop. He [the tradie] saw it all and brought him in."

"He limped in and we sat him down and we went 'what's going on?' and the tradie said it was really serious. There was a first aider with him and he said he really needs to go to the hospital so I took him."

She said he was really lucky and managed to avoid any major injuries.

"He has got soft tissue damage but they were really surprised that he didn't have any further injuries like broken bones," she said.

"He's a really fit guy so they said that kind of saved him, but they made him stay there to make sure he didn't have any internal bleeding."

Watkin said the incident was really upsetting for the victim and his co-coworkers.

"The main topic while we were at the hospital was just how upsetting it was that someone would hit you with there car, yell at you and then drive away."

"If it was us and we had done that, I would have picked them up and taken them to the hospital ... or I would have rung them an ambulance if it was more serious."

She said the women's wing mirror broke off when she hit him.

"We've actually got her side mirror. The tradie picked up the mirror off the road and gave it to us."

Watkin said she was going to take the main to the police station after the hospital but he was tired from the pain medication and he wasn't up to it. She said the barber will going to report the incident today.

"We did ring the police and report it but he needs to go and make an official complaint today but yeah, it's really sad."

She said people need to remember that risking a human life in order to catch a green light isn't worth it."

Police confirmed they are making enquiries after receiving a report that a person was hit by a vehicle on Riccarton Road about 12.30pm yesterday.

- NEWSTALK ZB