Hit-and-run speedster leaves boy screaming

A nearby retailer says cars often travel at speed along Sandringham Rd. Picture / Martin Sykes

A hit-and-run driver left a 5-year-old boy screaming in agony after ploughing into him and his father outside an Auckland school yesterday.

Police said the driver "floored it" to get through amber lights on a pedestrian crossing before hitting the pair outside Edendale Primary School.

The boy, a pupil at the school, was left lying in the road with a broken leg and cuts to his head and body as the driver sped from the scene.

His father suffered minor injuries.

Senior Sergeant Junior Abraham said both the boy and his father were flipped over the bonnet of the car.

"The driver seems to have floored it to get through the lights on orange and hit them. He then disappeared. The boy was conscious when we got here but obviously in a lot of pain."

School had just finished when the car hit the pair about 3.10pm on Sandringham Rd.

Mr Abraham said several children were crossing the road.

The car, described only as a black saloon, was last reported travelling towards the city.

The road was closed for more than an hour as serious crash investigators scoured the site. The boy and his father were both taken to hospital.

Mr Abraham said cars speeding up when they should stop because of an orange light was a common problem.

"He was obviously trying to beat the lights and this is what happens. The car must have been going at some speed."

Philippe Dierick, owner of a nearby television repair shop, said cars often travelled at high speeds along that part of Sandringham Rd. "Once again someone is injured because a driver doesn't slow down in front of a school."

Mr Abraham appealed for anyone who was driving in the area at the time to come forward.

"If the driver has a conscience he or she should come to us."

Contact Auckland Central police station on 302-6400.