By Alex Crowe
A man and his dog have died after being hit by a car while out walking in Melbourne’s south-east on Tuesday night.
The 87-year-old was crossing Power Road in Endeavour Hills when he was struck by a vehicle travelling south. Both the man, from Endeavour Hills, and his dog died at the scene.
The 37-year-old driver, also from Endeavour Hills, stopped after hitting the man and attempted to assist.
Emergency services were called to the incident near the intersection of Power and Heatherton roads just after 7.40pm. Detectives have interviewed the driver of the Toyota FJ Cruiser, who has since been released pending further enquiries.
Detective sergeant Peter Romanis said the elderly man had been going on his nightly walk around the block close to his home when he was struck.
“As you can imagine, his family are extremely distraught,” Romanis said.
A man has died after being hit by a car in Endeavour Hills.Credit: Nine News
“We’ll be providing what support we can for them through this extremely difficult time.”
Police are appealing for anyone who may have witnessed the collision or who may have dashcam footage of the incident to come forward.
The 87-year-old is the 167th person to be killed on Victoria’s roads so far this year. There were 130 people killed on the state’s roads during the same period last year.
“It’s yet another tragic reminder for all our [road] users that the safety on our roads is everyone’s responsibility,” Romanis said.
“We are continuing to urge all drivers to drive to the conditions. We’re still in the middle of winter ... conditions can change quite quickly.
“We want to avoid circumstances like this wherever possible.”
Anyone who witnessed the incident, has dashcam/CCTV footage or information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
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