$50,000 reward in case of 89-year-old hit-and-run victim
A $50,000 reward for information has been announced by North Queensland police, after an 89-year-old woman was severely injured in a hit-and-run last year.
The woman, who was hit in an underground car park in the CastleTown shopping centre in Townsville on October 15, suffered serious head injuries and spent several months recovering in hospital according to the ABC.
After more than five months, Acting Sergeant Hayley Garrod of the Townsville Forensic Crash Unit said police still had no independent witnesses and were no closer to identifying the driver involved.
“The person has driven past, stopped, reversed back, knocking the lady to the ground, and then taken off at speed without even going to the shops,” Acting Sergeant Garrod said at a press conference on Thursday.
“She’s a really sweet old lady and it’s disgusting that someone can hit somebody at that age and just drive away.
“This could be your grandma, could be my grandma and I don’t want to see this happen to my grandparents and I would hope that someone would come forward if they have any information in relation to it.”
Now, the elderly woman requires full-time care and has no memory of the incident.
“I spoke to her earlier this week, and all she can really tell me is that the person who hit her did a good job of her head,” Acting Sergeant Garrod said.
Police have released images from CCTV footage that they believe depicts the vehicle involved, described as a Holden Commodore with a distinctive chrome nudge bar that may have since been removed.
Chief Superintendent Craig Hanlon said he hopes the new reward for information would help investigators identify and prosecute the “callous” driver.
“We all feel for the family of the 89-year-old,” Chief Superintendent Hanlon said.
“She’s left with permanent life-changing injuries, and we need to know what happened and why it happened, and the family wants closure too.
“The person has obviously got no remorse because they have not come forward … and we want this person to be held to account for their actions.”
If the driver is identified, they could face charges including grievous bodily harm or dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.
Chief Superintendent Hanlon said it was “very unusual” for this kind of case to go unsolved in the community.
“Townsville’s not that big a place, so there’s someone out there that would know something,” he said.
The reward also includes indemnity for anyone involved who wasn’t the driver responsible from being prosecuted.
Image: Queensland Police Service (Facebook)