On the previous night, just minutes before midnight, a quartet of friends managed to reach a safe zone for pedestrians along the Princes Highway, only to attempt crossing when there was a brief pause in the flow of vehicles.
But the 16-year-old delayed and was hit by a car unable to stop as it drove through the intersection on a green light.
He was thrown metres into the air, coming to a stop 40 metres down the road.
“We heard a really loud thump, bang,” one Kirrawee resident said.
“Unusual sound so we went out and had a look and this poor man was sprawled on the road.”
His companions promptly rushed to assist the 16-year-old, who had sustained severe head trauma and internal wounds, and quickly transported him to St George Hospital in a critical state.
Paramedics treated the 20-year-old P-plate driver for shock.
While investigations are ongoing police say there’s nothing at this stage to suggest the driver was doing anything wrong.Â
She returned a negative roadside drug and alcohol test.
Simpson raised concerns about the safety of the pedestrian crossing itself.
“The road consists of six lanes, and the pedestrian signal does not allow individuals to cross the entire way at once; it halts halfway, creating a delay that prompts some people to take risks and proceed, rendering it exceedingly hazardous,” she explained.
