A pedestrian who was knocked down by an allegedly drunk driver in Sydney's CBD, before he lit a cigarette and strolled off into the night, has contacted police to say he is fine a day after the dramatic crash.
Police had held serious concerns for the health of the mystery man, who was shown in CCTV footage flying through the air when he was hit by the white Mercedes on Pitt Street about 12.30am on Monday.
The confronting footage shows the man tumbling down the street before coming to rest on his stomach, apparently unconscious. Witnesses rush to try to help him, as he lies motionless on the street.
Remarkably, the man is shown getting to his feet and walking to the side of the street, his head scraped and bleeding.
He apparently joked with bystanders, and at one point in the footage appeared to hold up his fists in a boxing stance.
A witness, Philipp Otte, told Nine News the man claimed he was a boxer and "didn't want to pay for the ambulance".
"[He] asked for a cigarette, asked for a lighter, lighted up a cigarette, and then just went away," Mr Otte said. The footage shows the man strolling away down Pitt Street with his cigarette, before paramedics could treat him.
On Monday, Acting Inspector David Parker appealed for the mystery pedestrian to contact police, saying he may have suffered more serious head injuries than he realised at the time.
A NSW Police spokesman said on Tuesday morning that the man had contacted police to say he was fine. The man was expected to make a police statement about the crash on Tuesday.
It was unclear whether he had sought medical treatment.
The 24-year-old woman who allegedly struck the man in her Mercedes stopped at the crash scene and was given a roadside breath test, which allegedly returned a positive result.
She was arrested and taken to Day Street police station in the city, where police allege she refused a breath analysis. Police said the woman was charged with failing to provide a sample for a breath analysis. Her court date is yet to be determined.
The officer who arrested the woman was shown in television footage berating the woman as he put her in the back of a police vehicle.
"Because of your actions and your drunkenness you've nearly killed someone tonight," the officer said, pointing his finger at the woman.
The following morning, Acting Inspector Parker said he would not apologise for the officer's angry words.
"He was very frustrated, as are all police when people display this disregard for other road users," he said.
