A PEDESTRIAN involved in a road collision is appealing for witnesses after criticising police for their slow progress.

Newton Aycliffe resident, Joyce Van Dijk, was left with a fractured shin after she was hit by a car at the Rushyford Roundabout, near Chilton.

The collision happened on January 15, at 4.15pm, while she was walking to catch a bus at the Eden Arms Hotel.

Mrs Van Dijk has not been able to work due to her injuries and said she wanted the driver to be held accountable.

She said: “It will be seven weeks since it happened, and the appeal has only gone up in the last week.

“It has made me feel unimportant. The accident was life changing and has really affected me. The doctor said I will never run again which is devastating because I suffer with depression – running has always been good for my mental health and wellbeing.

“Hindsight is a wonderful thing and I wish I got the car’s details myself at the time, but I was in shock and just wanted to go home.”

Following the accident, Mrs Van Dijk was taken to Darlington Memorial Hospital and operated on. She was sent home after six days and must now wear a leg brace and attend regular physiotherapy sessions.

She was hit by the car after she finished her shift at Sainsbury's on Durham Road, in Chilton.

She said it was safe to cross the bypass as traffic was at a standstill and the car in the first lane had waved her across.

She believes the driver in the second lane did not see her, leading to the accident.

A female passerby took registration details after the incident but Mrs Van Dijk said the details were not passed on to police and she has been unable to locate the witness.

At the time of the incident Mrs Van Dijk was wearing a pink duffle coat over a Sainsbury’s uniform.

She would encourage anyone with information on the witness who took the car’s registration and the driver to contact police.

A spokeswoman for Durham Constabulary said: “We are following all lines of enquiry. We are repeating our request for anyone who may have witnessed the incident to come forward.”

Witnesses should contact Durham Constabulary on 101, quoting incident 170 of January 17.