A mother who was crossing the road with a baby in a pram when she was struck by an SUV is in critical condition.
Around 9 a.m. on Tuesday, a Toyota RAV4 struck a woman who was walking along the A347 near Redhill Park in Bournemouth.
According to police, her condition is still life-threatening and she is still in the hospital.
The infant was transported to the hospital as a precaution, according to the police, but was not hurt.
According to Dorset Police, the car’s driver left the area without stopping.
The force added a 38-year-old man, from New Milton, Hampshire, had been arrested on suspicion of driving offences.
Tracey Howe was on her way to a hospital appointment when she witnessed the incident.
The 50-year-old said: ‘I saw a pedestrian get hit by a car as I was going round the one-way system.
‘She was crossing the road near the crossing by the park, the lights were changing to red so the car should have been slowing down.
‘It all happened really fast, it was horrible. I heard a noise and turned to see it.
‘I think she made contact with the front of the car but didn’t hit the windscreen and the car just zoomed off.
‘I saw who I assume could have been the grandmother running towards the baby. It looked about 18 months old.
‘I wasn’t able to pull over and stop. There were lots of pedestrians rushing over to help and the woman was lying by the side of the road.’
Police Sergeant Richard Stroud, of the road traffic unit, said: ‘We are investigating the circumstances of this collision and I am appealing to anyone who was travelling in the area at the time and either witnessed the collision or captured it on dashcam to please contact Dorset Police.
‘I would like to thank motorists for their patience while the road closure was in place so we could carry out our investigation.’
Detectives have urged witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage to contact them.