Pics of ute with police

Police are urging the driver of a ute that struck a pedestrian in Paengaroa to come forward.

Police are urging the driver of a ute which struck and critically injured a 19-year-old man in Paengaroa on Saturday night to come forward.

Western Bay road policing Sergeant Wayne Hunter told the Bay of Plenty Times last night that police had managed to obtain CCTV footage of the grey-black, flat-deck ute involved in the alleged hit-and-run at 9.30pm on Te Tumu Rd.

The spot where the 19-year-old pedestrian was struck is near the meeting point of a rural road lined with kiwifruit orchards and the busy State Highway 2.

Mr Hunter said the ute, which was heading east, had a large tool box on the tray.

It would be in the driver's interest to come forward to talk to police about what happened, as the CCTV footage of the incident would shortly be made public, he said.

Mr Hunter said the 19-year-old man was lucky to be alive after sustaining critical head injuries, and he was amazed his condition had improved so quickly.

The patient remained in a stable condition in Waikato Hospital ward last night.

The ute driver and any witnesses should call Tauranga police on 577 4300.