Aftermath of a hit and run

Lynette Kilmartin has no memory of the high speed hit and run that nearly killed her but she will be dealing with its aftermath for years to come.

The last thing she remembers is getting out of a taxi on Ponsonby Rd at 4.20am last Friday before the speeding car crashed into her, throwing her several metres down the road and knocking her unconscious.

Miss Kilmartin had been out for dinner with friends that evening and ran into more friends along the way.

"It turned into a really good night, lots of laughing and talking," she says.

She had only moved to Auckland from Wellington three weeks ago to start a new job and the company had put her up at a Ponsonby hotel, which is where she was being dropped off when disaster struck.

"When I first came to hospital, they thought I was dead apparently.

"Then they thought my leg would have to be amputated, most of the leg was missing."

The calf muscle was ripped from her right leg which has seen her in and out of surgery since last Friday.

She will need to have plastic surgery to rebuild her calf and says it will never look like it used to.

Taxi driver Gurmeet Sran, who was dropping Miss Kilmartin off, says the incident happened "within two seconds".

"I had just got out of the cab to clean out the rubbish in the back seat and the car came around and bang," he says.

He saw Miss Kilmartin’s belongings scattered across the road and saw her lying about four metres from his taxi, which was also damaged by the car.

"I ran to her and saw she was not screaming, she was just unconscious.

"I was very upset at the time, I got my mobile and dialled 111.

"In the meantime, a stationwagon came along and I waved them down."

Fortunately there was a doctor in the car who was able to look after Miss Kilmartin until an ambulance arrived.

Mr Sran’s car was taken to be examined by police and will also need to be repaired, leaving him without an income in the lead-up to Christmas.

Miss Kilmartin is still in hospital and her family has flown up from the South Island to be with her.

She says the incident is "a bit unbelievable" and hard to comprehend, but she is staying positive.

She says she feels sorry for the driver who hit her.

"He must be feeling pretty awful, it will ruin his life," she says."

Ponsonby Rd recently had its speed limit lowered to 40kmh after past incidents of pedestrians being struck by vehicles and injured or killed.

A 22-year-old North Shore service station forecourt attendant has been arrested and has appeared in the Auckland District Court charged with reckless driving causing injury and failing to ascertain injury after a crash.

Anyone who has further information about the incident can contact Mr McIntosh on 820-5781.