Car badly injures walkers at busy Auckland roundabout

Police and serious crash investigate an accident involving pedestrians on Mt Albert Road near Royal Oak Roundabout Auckland. Photo / Jason Dorday

Two people were injured, one critically, after being hit by a car while crossing a road near a busy Auckland roundabout yesterday.

The man and woman were walking across Mt Albert Rd, near the Royal Oak roundabout, when they were hit about 4pm.

Keelan McCafferty, manager of The Zookeeper's Son pub on Mt Albert Rd, said the impact between the pair and the car made a loud thud.

"We ran out. There was one man, not moving. He had blood running down his ears. It was quite a nasty situation," Mr McCafferty said.

"The car was completely totalled, smashed windscreen and everything.

"There were shoes about 10 metres from the body of the people."

The woman who was with the man did not appear to be as badly injured, Mr McCafferty said. "She was coherent and quite lucid. She was awake and aware."

A doctor who had been at the nearby Royal Oak Mall car park saw what happened and was first on the scene, Mr McCafferty said.

"She came up and was helping the situation. She had a kit on her ... and said it didn't look positive for him [and] that he was in a really rough sort of way."

When ambulance staff arrived, the affected area of road was cordoned off to traffic. Before that, bystanders were helping to manage traffic, Mr McCafferty said.

"It was really nice because there were lots of onlookers helping to guide the traffic away and help the situation."

Last night, a spokeswoman for Auckland City Hospital said the man was in a critical condition.

The woman was in a serious condition.

Police closed the affected part of M Albert Rd for about four hours after the incident.

There is a pedestrian crossing on the road leading up to the roundabout. It was unclear whether the pair were on the crossing on Mt Albert Rd at the time of the incident.

The driver of the car involved was uninjured.

The police serious crash unit is investigating.