A 21-year-old New Zealand man faced court on Saturday after allegedly hitting a woman with a stolen hire car and fleeing, leaving her for dead.
Nicholas Michael Davison was charged with culpable driving, dangerous driving, fail to stop at the scene of an accident, fail to render assistance, burglary and theft on Saturday afternoon.
It is alleged that Davison stole a hired Toyota Corolla not long before he ran a red light and hit the 22-year-old Sydney woman at speeds of possibly about 100 kilometres an hour, according to police.
The incident occurred at a busy intersection in West Melbourne.
Stuart McGregor, detective inspector of the major collision investigation unit, said initial investigations suggest the car hit the woman at great speed, before careering off the road, hitting a tree and then a power pole.