Stacey Matthews was cycling in Toolern Vale last year when she was knocked off her bike in a hit-and-run incident.
A year on, the 26-year-old is still recovering from her injuries which included a broken neck, back, jaw, collarbone and arm; displaced teeth; a collapsed lung; degloving to the arm; and a split left leg and knee.
Melton Highway Patrol Senior Constable Holly Gibson described the October 3 incident as “disgraceful” and “cowardly”.
She said police had a number of suspects but were appealing to the public for more information to “fill in the last few pieces of the puzzle”.
Ms Matthews wants the driver responsible to hand himself in.
Ms Matthews was cycling south-bound on the Gisborne-Melton Road, near the Diggers Rest-Coimadai Road intersection, about 12.45pm on October 3 when she was hit by a car, described as a white VT or VX Holden Commodore.
“There was a car that was coming straight towards me basically,” she says. “I looked at the driver and he was not slowing down. He was coming at speed towards me [so] I had to make a decision to try and avoid a collision.
“I pulled my brakes on and pulled into the road to try and avoid hitting the car, but … he was coming way too fast and I did not have much time to react.”
Passersby, including an off-duty police officer, firefighter and nurse, pulled over to assist Ms Matthews.
Police have said the driver of the car, a Caucasian man in his 20s with a shaved head and tattoos on his neck and arm, veered onto the wrong side of the road before hitting Ms Matthews.
The car was seen driving erratically in the Melton and Brookfield areas shortly after the hit-and-run.
Senior Constable Holly Gibson said the car was likely to have damage to the passenger’s side, including the front bumper, a smashed windscreen and a missing side mirror.
“This is a classic example of what we believe is a driver impaired by drugs or alcohol and it’s a classic example of what can happen to an innocent person going about their day-to-day activities,” she said.
“A year on and they’re still recovering … obviously we need to try and get this person off the road.
“My message to the driver is: hand yourself in before we come looking for you,” Senior Constable Gibson said.
She said police we’re expecting to make an arrest soon.
Ms Matthews’ recovery is ongoing, she regularly undergoes rehabilitation and pysiotherapy and she hopes next week to return to work for her first full day since the accident.
She’s back on her bike and has recently started cycling on roads, despite second-guessing her decision.
“But I … think I shouldn’t not do something I’m really passionate about because of one person’s action,” she says.
