Mum’s heartache for son who fell from moving car at Unanderra

Christopher Inglis, 34, was a passenger in a white Toyota Tarago that was travelling west on Five Islands Rd at Unanderra, Wednesday, when he fell onto the roadway. Fairy Meadow mum Melanie Ritchie saw him hit the road near Glastonbury Avenue, but was unable to find somewhere to pull over.  

“I [said] out loud, ‘holy crap’. My little four-year-old in back I said, ‘I think I just saw someone fall or jump out of the car’, and she goes, ‘oh wow, I hope he's OK’,” Miss Ritchie said. 

“I saw slight movement from him, but then he went still. 

“I saw two other cars had stopped to help, so I thought, at least he's getting some help.”  

Mr Inglis, a father of 10, suffered a critical head injury and was airlifted to St George Hospital, where he remains. 

On Friday his mother, Tanya Pera, told the Mercury her son had been in and out of consciousness, his eyes so swollen he had been unable to open them, when she spent the day at his bedside. 

She has been told her son made the decision to exit the car after arguing with the driver, his partner, but knows little else.

“I’ve been crying. It is hard to see him like that, but then what can I do?”

“He must have jumped [from the car]. The detectives …can’t give me any more information.

“He’s getting better. He has bleeding in his head but it’s stopped bleeding. We are waiting to hear.” 

Detectives spoke to the driver, who did not pull over, at a home on Northcliffe Drive at Berkeley later on Wednesday. The Mercury does not suggest the driver was responsible for Mr Inglis’ fall. 

Lake Illawarra Police District’s sergeant Grant Hughes confirmed no charges had been laid. An investigation into the matter is ongoing. “Police are still waiting to speak with the male, so at this stage we've only got [the driver’s] version of events, so until we speak to him and some other witnesses we won't be able to take any further action.”