A 35-year-old man was killed by a hit-and-run driver in Odemira on Sunday morning, hours before another ploughed into three young teenagers on bicycles near Ourém, leaving all of them with serious injuries.
Police in two districts are this morning trying to find both motorists.
In the case of the teenagers, eye witnesses have described a “black Seat Ibiza” which did not stop “even to find out how the children were”, explained one.
The boys – thought to be aged between 13 and 15 – were all transported to hospitals: the 15-year-old by helicopter to Lisbon’s Santa Maria, while his younger friends were taken by ambulance to Coimbra paediatric hospital.
The accident happened around 5pm last night (Sunday). The children were all riding their bikes in Atouguia when the driver collided into them on a corner.
The fatal accident in Odemira, however, had no eye witnesses to help police with inquiries.
Paulo Jorge Martins, a local man, was on his way home from a night out at 5.50am, and walking along the side of the road near the village of Longueira.
A friend, who had only just left Paulo’s company, said: “There weren’t even brake marks.” The car must have hit his friend violently, he explained, and kept on going.
A source for the GNR said that for the time being police have no leads on the vehicle involved or the identity of the driver.
UPDATE:
The driver of the black Seat Ibiza has now handed himself into police, Lusa news agency has reported.
The 50-year-old man, who lives locally, walked into Ourém police station.
Police are now taking statements, witness reports, inspecting the vehicle and will establish why it was that the driver did not stop.
