• Auckland University professor Vinod Suresh is recovering from life-threatening injuries after being hit by a car that drove on the footpath.
• A 20-year-old driver faces multiple charges, including carelessly operating a vehicle and causing injuries.
• Suresh’s recovery is uncertain, affecting his family significantly, as he continues to be unable to walk or eat independently.

An Auckland University professor doesn’t know when he will be able to walk or eat again after being hit by a car while walking on the footpath in central Auckland.

Five pedestrians were injured when a car mounted the footpath and crashed into a tree on Symonds St on March 24 outside the University of Auckland engineering school.

Dr Vinod Suresh was left fighting for his life. The associate professor at the University of Auckland’s Department of Engineering Science and Auckland Bioengineering Institute now faces a long road to recovery from his injuries; his quads separated from his pelvis, he suffered a ruptured bladder and colon, multiple fractures, herniated muscles and more.

“If it was not for the quick actions of the ambulance and fire rescue ... I might not have been here today to talk about it,” he told the Herald in an exclusive interview this week.

“It is quite a traumatic experience.

“The injuries [are of] such a serious enough nature that even now, one week after the accident ... I cannot walk, I cannot shower by myself. I cannot eat any solids or take any liquids. I basically can’t live an independent life.”

He has lost a significant amount of weight because he is unable to eat.

The crash has had “devastating consequences” for Suresh, his wife and their two school-aged children.

Five people were treated for injuries after the crash outside Auckland University's engineering school. Photo / Michael Craig

“It’s an enormous [impact], and I don’t think there’s a way to quantify that experience in words.”

A 20-year-old driver accused of causing the crash has name suppression.

He has been charged with possession of a drug utensil, four canisters of nitrous oxide, two charges of carelessly operating a vehicle, and a further three charges of operating a vehicle carelessly and causing injuries, court documents show.

Despite the circumstances, Suresh said he is trying to avoid feeling resentment and instead looking towards the future.

“For me personally, there’s not a whole lot of point in trying to understand the motivation or character of the person driving the car ... My focus has been on dealing with the consequences.”

Suresh’s wife, who asked not to be named, hasn’t worked since her husband was injured and is at his hospital bedside every day.

“We want him to get better. We want him to be back to where he was,” she said.

“It’s beyond frustrating that someone’s carelessness can cause this.

“[Suresh] was on the footpath; there was nothing he could have done.”

Usually an active man, Suresh plays squash and is a volunteer leader for Sea Scouts.

“It’s not just one person, right? It’s like there’s a village, and the entire village is really affected,” his wife said.

His “significant pain” is mostly managed by painkillers, and while he’s trying to take his recovery one day at a time, he admits he is anxious about his future.

“I’m worried about what the effect of this [will be] on my health going forward.”

Jaime Lyth is a multimedia journalist for the New Zealand Herald, focusing on crime and breaking news. Lyth began working under the NZ Herald masthead in 2021 as a reporter for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei.