A motorist swerving and speeding from the scene of a Brooklyn hit-and-run in which a pedestrian was left in critical condition Monday had to drive with his head out the window because the windshield was completely shattered, cops and witnesses said.
Allan Halter, 68, stepped off the curb in Midwood near Avenue O and Ocean Parkway at around 11:30 a.m., and was mowed down by a 2010 Buick sedan — knocking him out of his shoes and sending his body flying into the air.
“He just flew up in the air and that was it,” said a woman who witnessed the crash and asked not to be identified.
“He landed like 50 feet in front [of the car].”
The driver then sped away, leaving the severely injured victim writhing in pain in the middle of the street.
“The guy stopped and then just took off,” a witness said. “His head was hanging out the window and he was driving with one hand.”
A driver spotted the driver further down Ocean Parkway, weaving in and out of traffic and running red lights. Sensing something was wrong, the good Samaritan followed the fleeing motorist while snapping pictures.
He tried to follow the Buick for as long as he could, but eventually lost him when he entered the Belt Parkway.
At that point, the witness called police.
The suspect, Michael Spalla, 47, was finally stopped by cops and taken to the 66th Precinct station house, where he was charged with leaving the scene of an accident.
Halter was rushed to Lutheran Medical Center, where he is listed in critical condition.
Witnesses to the hit-and-run described an all-out effort to save the victim.
“I tried to get him to wake up, but it was too late,” said a man who rushed over to try and assist the elderly man after he was hit and who wished to remain anonymous.
An EMT who treated Halter at the scene said he was in grave condition.
“When I got to the scene, the patient was already very bad,” the paramedic said. “He was unconscious, bleeding from his head and foot.
“We were doing CPR and intubating him.”