Father of two, 55, recovering after horrific hit-and-run

The daughter of a cyclist left with serious injuries after an horrific hit-and-run has pleaded for the motorist who fled the scene to come forward.

THE daughter of a man who received extensive injuries in a cowardly hit-and-run on the Gold Coast has called on the absconding driver to come forward.

Single dad John Porte, 55, who has spent the last 15 years raising his two daughters, faces a three-month recovery after he was rear-ended by a vehicle going 70km/h along Shippers Dr, Coomera, at around 6.30pm Wednesday, while on his way home from work.

The crash left him with a broken leg, a fractured ankle, a hairline fracture on his left wrist and a major soft tissue injury on his hip, turning his regular commute from work into a nightmare.

He was taken to the Gold Coast University Hospital in a serious condition, and will undergo surgery on Friday.

John Ponte, 55, was left with several broken bones in a cowardly hit-and-run on the Gold Coast on Wednesday. Picture: Leeanne Ponte.

John’s eldest daughter, Leeanne, said she was devastated when she got the news about her father.

“When I first saw him, I immediately broke down,” Ms Ponte said. “He’s a single father and he’s raised me and my sister for the last 15 years.”

She slammed the motorist responsible for not stopping to help her father, telling them they should come forward.

“If it was your brother or mother or sister, don’t you think they deserve the same humanity and justice,” she said.

“Stop being a coward.”

“They should own up.”

She said she wanted motorists to pay the same respect to cyclists as they would injured wildlife by the side of the road.

Mr Ponte is an avid cyclist, competing in events such as the Brisbane to Gold Coast race and GC100.

Since his incident, dozens of friends in the cycling community have flooded the family with well-wishes.

John Ponte, 55, with daughter Leeanne, in hospital. John will undergo surgery on Friday for his serious injuries, which will take three months to heal. Picture: Leeanne Ponte.

John Ponte, 55, is a keen cyclist but faces several months of recovery before he can get back on the bike. Picture: Leeanne Ponte.

A Queensland Police spokeswoman told The Courier-Mail that investigations were continuing into the incident.

Originally published as Father of two, 55, recovering after horrific hit-and-run