Senior charged, licence suspended for 90 days following hit-and-run in St. Catharines

Niagara Regional Police Service. (Source: Twitter)

A 74-year-old man has been arrested and charged following a fail-to-remain collision that seriously injured a pedestrian in St. Catherines over the weekend.

The crash happened on Sunday at the intersection of Grantham Avenue and Carlton Street.

Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) along with the St. Catharines Fire Department and Niagara Emergency Medical Service said they were called to that area at about 8 a.m.

Police said a pedestrian was walking northbound on the west side of Grantham and using the crosswalk at Carlton Street when they were hit by the driver of a vehicle and seriously hurt.

In an update on Monday, police said the victim remains in serious, but stable, condition at an out-of-region hospital, where they continue to receive treatment for their injuries.

The motorist was last seen fleeing the area westbound on Carlton before turning southbound onto Stoyanoff Drive in a newer model Buick SUV, possibly dark purple or brown in colour.

On Monday, NRPS arrested Michael Gospodarek, of St. Catharines.

He has been charged with fail to stop at the scene of an accident cause bodily harm.

Gospodarek has been additionally charged with impaired operation of a conveyance by alcohol and impaired operation of a conveyance blood alcohol exceed legal limit in relation to s separate incident.

The accused is being held in custody and is scheduled to appear in court on April 8.

Aside from facing charges, Gospodarek’s driver’s licence has been suspended for 90 days. He is also prohibited from operating a motor vehicle on a roadway, police said.

Detectives are thanking the public for their assistance in this case.

This investigation is ongoing and police are asking anyone with further information to contact the lead detective at 905-688-4111, option 3, badge 1009367, or Crime Stoppers anonymously.