An eyewitness has described hearing a sickening crunch as a vehicle drove into a man, severing his leg against a pole, in Nelson. 

A 26-year-old Nelson woman charged with maiming with intent to cause grievous bodily harm has been remanded in custody until September 7.

She appeared in the Nelson District Court this afternoon and was granted interim name suppression.

She allegedly drove into her uncle opposite The Quay apartments on Wakefield Quay at 7.40am.

The 40-year-old man's leg was nearly severed, resulting in amputation. He underwent surgery at Nelson Hospital and was this afternoon in a stable condition in intensive care.

An eyewitness, who did not want to be named, described seeing a four-door sedan heading along Wakefield Quay towards Nelson drive across the footpath and into the man.

“I saw the car come across the gutter and crunch into his legs and he sort of crumbled to the ground crying ‘Help, help’ and that's when the lights and stuff [in the Wakefield Quay apartment buildings] started coming on,” he said.

''The car was right off the road and crushed him against the fence. He started screaming right away. She backed off onto the road again and took off towards Nelson. He was rolling around on the ground screaming for help.”

Senior Sergeant John Price, of the Nelson police, said the man was walking along the footpath when he was struck by a vehicle that had left the road. He was pinned against a pole, resulting in the amputation of his leg.

''Obviously we would like to hear from anyone who actually saw the crash who we have not already spoken to,’’ he said.

Builders at a nearby construction site saw the incident, and were first on the scene.

Pools of blood marked the footpath where paramedics treated the injured man before he was taken to Nelson Hospital by ambulance.

The road was closed to one lane and police cordoned off the scene.

Traffic was diverted up Waimea Rd and Russell St and through Bisley Ave at Tahunanui.

- © Fairfax NZ News