The grief-stricken family of a hit-and-run victim have said that the motorist who knocked down their father has ruined his “last Christmas”.
Former soldier and cancer sufferer Dave Whitworth, 68, was struck by a vehicle as he crossed the road outside his home in Montrose Avenue, Luton, at 10pm on November 26.
The motorist failed to stop, leaving Mr Whitworth lying in the road unconscious with a broken hip, fractured cheekbone and deep cuts to his hands and knees.
After undergoing hip replacement surgery and spending several weeks in hospital Mr Whitworth was discharged home yesterday, but remains confined to a hospital bed.
The incident came not long after Mr Whitworth was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He was already suffering from dementia with Lewy bodies.
In an open letter to the motorist, Mr Whitworth’s family have said the incident has destroyed what would have “probably have been his last Christmas”.
It read: “He was in the Signals in the Army, intercepting messages in the Falklands War and then moving on to to work for GCHQ and lots of intelligence work.
“He was the most intelligent man we have ever met.
“But mostly, he was the best Dad ever…always there for us – he has three children and six grandchildren.
“Madly in love with our Mum – he is devoted to her.
“And he was very, very funny, kind and caring.”
It added: “That night changed everything.
“We knew that this was his last Christmas, but we had visions of him dancing and singing with us, like he used to, but this year, he can’t stand up. “He can’t speak.
“Whoever ran our Dad over killed him...just very slowly.
“You will have to live with with what you have done for the rest of your life.
“We hope that you sleep well.”
No arrests have been made as of yet.
A police spokesman said: “We would urge the driver, or anyone who has any information about this incident, to call police.
“Part of the wing mirror of the car was recovered at the scene.
“We would appeal to anyone who knows of a vehicle which has had unexplained damage to contact police.”
Anyone with any information can call Beds Police on 101.