A hit-and-run victim who was left seriously injured in Auckland has decided not to press charges against the driver.
'Isileli Tevi, 22, has a fractured eye socket, a small fracture on his head, three broken fingers, internal bleeding on one side of his stomach with grazes and bruises all over his body.
He was walking home with some mates from a party in Mt Wellington, when a vehicle crossed into the wrong lane and hit him two weeks ago.
The driver left the scene and the only thing Tevi remembers is waking up in the hospital not knowing what landed him there.
“I didn’t know what happened, at first I thought we got jumped,” he says. “But yeah I was really shocked."
It’s been two weeks after the incident and Tevi still cannot eat properly. He says he’s still trying to process how lucky he is to be alive.
“I’m still trying to take it all in because I still can’t believe it happened and how close I was to home… He [the driver] was speeding too, my mate told me I flew like 10 metres or more.”
The driver turned himself in to Police last Friday, five days after the incident. However, Tevi and his family have decided not to press charges.
“It’s coming up to Christmas… I don’t know the guy, he might have kids and it’s coming to the new year… I don’t want anything holding him back for next year,” he says. “I’m just thankful to be here.”
The doctors have told Tevi it may take at least five weeks for him to recover and although he’ll be in a cast and bandages this Christmas, he’s counting his blessings.
“I was so close to losing everything,” he says. “You just never know eh, you just need to live life to the fullest and make things count.”
Tevi only has one message to people in the lead up to Christmas and the New Year:
“Look after each other”.