By Gemma Grant
A pedestrian has died after a car mounted a footpath in Melbourne’s north on Saturday morning opposite a local high school.
The 63-year-old Mill Park man, who is yet to be formally identified, was on the Dalton Street footpath in Epping when a silver hatchback crashed through a pedestrian crossing barrier.
Police said he was struck by the car about 10am and died at the scene.
There are multiple schools, a childcare centre and a Melbourne Polytechnic campus near the crash site, which were all closed for the weekend.
Police allege the driver, a 27-year-old Glenroy man, continued driving along the footpath before hitting a power pole.
He was freed from the wrecked car by firefighters, before being taken to Royal Melbourne Hospital in a critical condition with a lower body injury.
Major Collision Investigation Unit detectives are investigating the incident. Credit: Nine News
The driver was later arrested and is currently in hospital under police guard. He is yet to be spoken to by police.
Detective Sergeant Daryll Out, of the Major Collision Unit, said a number of witnesses saw the car driving erratically before the incident.
The 27-year-old was seen “slumped over the steering wheel” while stopped at a different intersection. He had to be woken by other drivers – who say they got out of their own cars to tap on his window.
Witnesses saw the driver wake up before he allegedly “drove off at high speeds”.
Police said that alcohol, drug use and high speeds were all being investigated as factors in the crash.
“It’s frustrating because it’s totally unnecessary,” Out said. “It’s infuriating. The senselessness of someone being killed just because they’ve gone for a walk.
“This time of year, coming up to Christmas, it’s a terrible thing for the families to hear,” he said.
Anyone who witnessed the incident or who has footage, is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
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