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Daniel Madigan, pictured with investigator First Constable Scott Middenway, holds photographs of his ‘best friend’, Jack Russell ‘Chopper’, who was killed in a hit-run on May 10. Picture Yuri Kouzmin Source: News Corp Australia
THE hunt is on for a heartless driver who hit and killed a three-legged dog, narrowly missing its owner, before taking off without stopping to check on their welfare.
Police said Daniel Madigan, 45, was walking his 11-year-old Jack Russell ‘Chopper’ along Beach St, Frankston, towards Cranbourne Rd, about 6.45pm on May 10, when a speeding car careened into his beloved pet.
The driver of the car failed to stop and left the dog lying on the road with critical injuries.
She was taken to a local vet where she was euthanised.
Mr Madigan said Chopper was like a child to him.
“I’ve had her 11 years and she was part of the family,†he said.
“She was probably my best friend — it feels like I’ve lost my best friend.
“The driver has caused me so much hurt.
“It (the crash) keeps running through my head again and again and again.
“She wasn’t just a dog.
“It’s like losing a child, to me she was my child.â€
Mr Madigan said he thought the car was travelling at 80km/h when it turned into the alley and then accelerated even further.
Chopper, who lost a leg from bone cancer, was on a lead as she followed Mr Madigan’s side on walks.
“I heard it behind me and turned around ... the car missed me by about six inches and only then because I jumped out of the way,†he said.
“Chopper wasn’t able to.
“She wasn’t so lucky.
“The car was going so fast it was insane.
“A woman helped me at the scene and took me to the vet and I reported it to police the next day.â€
Mr Madigan was bringing home dinner from a local takeaway when the incident happened.
First Constable Scott Middenway said the driver was travelling at “rapid speed†and would have known he had hit the dog.
“We have CCTV showing the front left wheel hitting the dog and then the rear left wheel,†Constable Middenway said.
“The car has swayed on impact and you would clearly know you had hit something — there is a big thud.â€
Constable Middenway said the driver was being pursued over failure to exchange details at the scene of a crash and failure to render assistance.
“It’s a massive loss to me,†Mr Madigan said.
“I am hurting so much.
“The driver knows what he has done and I just want him to come forward and admit it.â€