Dad-of-one Mridhul Kombara, 35, leapt to avoid the white Ford Fiesta as it hurtled towards him in a horrifying hit-and-run attack – police continue to search for the driver
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Moment pedestrian flies through the air after being hit by car
Shocking footage shows the moment a man is thrown into the air by a reckless hit-and-run driver who mounted the pavement.
Dad-of-one Mridhul Kombara, 35, was catapulted off the ground by a white Ford Fiesta after it veered onto the pavement outside a convenience store in Coventry on September 15. CCTV footage shows the 35-year-old being thrown into the air by the force of the collision, before the driver casually gets out of the car and walks away.
The dad was rushed to the NHS Coventry and Warwickshire Trust hospital, where scans revealed he had a hairline fracture on his ankle, as well as injuries to his hips, shoulder and legs. West Midlands Police said no arrests had been made.
In the footage, Mr Kombara, wearing a brown jacket and jeans, is seen walking along the pavement when the out-of-control car suddenly swerves into him and a lamp post, crumpling its bonnet in the process.
Crucially, he makes a split-second decision to leap onto the Ford Fiesta at the moment it hits him, meaning he bounced off the car and was not dragged underneath it. The clip then ends with him being helped by bystanders and the manager of the supermarket, who came to his aid and called an ambulance.
Mridhul, who is from Coventry, believes it is a “miracle” he didn’t suffer more serious injuries in the crash – and shared that he is now fearful to walk down the street because of his trauma from the incident. Describing the moment of impact and aftermath of the collision, he said: “I’ve been left traumatised by it. I get scared walking down the street now and I still can’t watch the video without getting teary.
“Someone was looking out for me that day, it’s a miracle I wasn’t more seriously injured. I saw the car coming but I assumed he was going to pull over and park on the side of the road. But the speed wasn’t decreasing and the car came straight towards me. That’s when I jumped to get out the way and was thrown up by the bonnet. The driver didn’t even apologise. It was really painful, but I feel lucky to be alive. I just want closure now, I want to know who did this, and why.”
In an update on the investigation, a spokesperson West Midlands Police told local media: “No arrest as yet but investigations are ongoing to identify and trace the driver involved.”