HIT AND RUN: Driver Mows Down Female Trio, With One Needing Leg Amputated

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This is the moment when a driver suddenly mounts the pavement and mows down three women at speed, injuring one so badly she had to have her leg amputated.

The horror smash took place in Itapema, Santa Catarina State, southern Brazil at around 3.20am on Sunday, 9th October.

CCTV footage shows how the women are standing outside a tobacconist when the car – stopped just feet away – suddenly darts forward.

Amanda Rossari (right) and Mariane pose in an undated photo. They were hit by a motorist while standing on the pavement in Itapema, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022. (Newsflash)

It suddenly mounts the pavement and careers into the women before it jolts to a stop and its airbags are deployed.

The driver of the Toyota Corolla – with plates from Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul State, west-central Brazil – fled the scene after the accident.

Police found a number of alcoholic beverages inside the vehicle, including a bottle of whisky next to the driver’s seat.

Two of the women – Amanda Rossari and her friend Mariane, both aged 26 – suffered minor injuries and did not require hospitalisation.

Bruna Rossari poses in an undated photo. She was hit by a motorist while standing on the pavement in Itapema, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022. (Newsflash)

But Amanda’s sister Bruna Rossari, 35, sustained a serious injury to her left leg in the smash.

She was taken to Ruth Cardoso Hospital in nearby Balneario Camboriu, where medics had to amputate the injured limb.

At the time of reporting, she remained hospitalised in a stable condition.

As well as injuring the women, the wayward vehicle caused damage to the tobacconist.

A motorist hits three women standing on the pavement in Itapema, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022. One of the women reportedly lost one of her legs. (Newsflash)

The owner of the car presented himself to police and told officers he did not know the whereabouts of his son, who had been behind the wheel at the time.

Police seized the car as part of the investigation.

Two days after the accident, suspect Marcelo Eduardo de Souza Costa – a resident of Campo Grande – finally turned himself into police, accompanied by a lawyer.

He is now under investigation for the crime of bodily injury in a traffic accident. Police hope to ascertain if he was drunk at the time.

A motorist hits three women standing on the pavement in Itapema, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022. One of the women reportedly lost one of her legs. (Newsflash)

Victim Amanda told local media that she, her friend, and her sister had been out that night celebrating a sale Bruna had made at work.

She said: “We were having fun, because that same day my sister had made a good sale and we were very happy.

“My friend and I are relatively fine, but in quite a bit of pain. My sister lost her leg. It’s difficult to take it all in.

“We hope justice is served and that this guy’s recklessness doesn’t go unpunished.”

(T4 / ends)