A pedestrian who was hit by a car which failed to stop says he is lucky to be alive.

Father-of-two Darren Smith, 36, was walking along a road near his Mersham home when he was mown down and seriously injured by the car, which failed to stop.

As he recovers at home from his injuries Mr Smith has appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

The incident happened in Frith Road, Aldington at around 8pm last Wednesday.

As Mr Smith was sent crashing into a tree by a green Citroen Saxo, a branch went through his leg.

Mr Smith has now been discharged from the William Harvey Hospital but is in a wheelchair.

He said: “I don’t blame the person for hitting me – I know that the guy wouldn’t have seen me.

“But driving off is a different scenario.

“Who knows what the future holds with regard to my recovery? If I didn’t have my family around me I don’t know what I would do.”

Mr Smith was walking to the Good Intent pub from his home when he was knocked over.

Referring to anyone who may have information about the incident, he added simply: “Please come forward.”

Mr Smith’s brother, Lee, said: “The car hit him at 60mph and didn’t brake.

“Darren suffered severe muscle damage to his leg, though he didn’t break anything. He stayed conscious and managed to flag down a couple of cars and they contacted me.

“I raced around to him and I put a tourniquet on to stop the flow of the blood.”

He added: “He lost a serious amount of blood in the hospital and they thought that he might need a transfusion.”

According to Mr Smith’s brother, people outside the Good Intent pub, 200 yards away, saw a green Citroen Saxo stop momentarily. It had front near side damage.

The accident could have had even worse consequences for Mr Smith, a married man with two young children, had he not been keeping myself in shape.

He said: “Since June I have been doing quite a bit of running. The doctors think that is what probably saved me.”

Anyone who witnessed the incident or has any information is asked to contact police on 01303 850055. They also want to hear from local garages who may have been asked to repair a car for possible damage.

Information can also be left anonymously on the Crimestoppers hotline – 0800 555 111.