Hit-and-run adds to parents' pain
The parents of a terminally ill one-year-old girl are trying to track down a female driver who left a fake phone number after hitting their parked vehicle at Princess Margaret Hospital.
Annette and Ben Drummond said the crash had left them with a $600 insurance excess bill for repairs.
Mrs Drummond found two notes on her damaged car when she left the hospital about 7pm on Monday after spending the day with her daughter Amelia.
On one was written "sorry" and a mobile number. But when her husband called the number, it was not connected.
Fortunately the second note was from a woman who said she had seen a white four-wheel-drive reverse into the Drummonds' vehicle, which was parked in a disabled bay.
Mrs Drummond said the witness told her the driver had been talking on her mobile phone at the time and had been yelling at her children.
The witness noted the registration of the 4WD and has given it to the Drummonds to pass on to police.
She believed the vehicle was a Mitsubishi Pajero.
The Drummonds hope police will track down the driver but urged her to come forward.
"Accidents happen . . . but it's wrong to have walked away and left us a fake number," Mrs Drummond said.
"No doubt she has sick children too if she's been at the hospital, so I empathise. I just don't think she's gone about it the right way.
"We hope police can help but in the meantime we're the ones left out of pocket, we have enough medical expenses, we shouldn't have to pay for something that wasn't our fault.
"(This crash) is not something we want to be dealing with when we have enough on our plates."
The Drummonds said their daughter had spent much of the past eight months in hospital and doctors had recently confirmed that she had spinal muscular atrophy with respiratory distress.
Amelia, just one of two Australian children with the condition, cannot breathe on her own and relies on a ventilator.
She must be monitored 24 hours a day and cannot be left alone in case she pulls out her ventilator.
Amelia, who turned one on Tuesday, spends most days and every night in hospital because of her high-care needs.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
'We have enough medical expenses, we shouldn't have to pay for something that wasn't our fault.'"Mum *Annette Drummond *
