Police are searching for a red hatchback car involved in the brazen hit-and-run of a pregnant woman in Melbourne's north.
Primary school teacher Trudy suffered a broken fibula when the car struck her from behind as she was exiting her vehicle on Sydney Road in Coburg on August 26.
She was 31 weeks pregnant at the time.
In CCTV footage of the event, the red hatchback appears to veer into the left lane as Trudy exits her car.
Police said the driver of the offending vehicle — which investigators believe to be a 2004 Ford Focus — continued travelling northbound along Sydney Road after the collision.
Senior Constable James Pieters said given the impact of the collision and the damage sustained to the vehicle, there was no way the driver would have been unaware they had hit Trudy.
"They would have known or made a conscious decision to continue driving after hitting the pedestrian," Senior Constable Pieters said.
He said Trudy was extremely lucky to have escaped the incident with only a broken leg.
"There could have been a lot more injury sustained as a result of the collision than actually occurred. It was very risky behaviour by the driver," Senior Constable Pieters said.
"If she landed in a certain position or was hit in a certain position, that could have resulted in a fatality."
Police have been unable to identify any registration details about the vehicle or any details about the possible occupants.
'I was just grabbing my belly'
Trudy said the events of the incident still felt "surreal" and she was yet to process the events.
"If I do think a little bit about the accident, it does obviously stir up feelings of grief and sadness," she said.
The primary school teacher said she was exiting her car and didn't see the offending vehicle approaching in her mirror when she was struck from behind.
"I think I knew straight away that my leg had broken and then my body just went into complete shock about what was going on," Trudy said.
"I was just grabbing my belly to see if I could feel any movements, if there was any soft tissue damage."
Trudy said her baby was okay despite the injuries she sustained, which required surgery to put screws and plates in her leg.
She said she came forward to speak in an attempt for justice and to prevent incidents like this in the future.
"This driver, we don't know if they've got a history of this type of behaviour, should they really be driving," Trudy said.
"Not only justice for myself, but to see what the impacts of what this driver could possibly do in the future as well."
Anyone who has dashcam footage or any other information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
While investigators continue their search, Trudy has a nervous wait until her child is born.
"This whole thing moving forward is just 'how is my baby going?'," she said.
"It is a bit of an anxious wait until when the baby arrives."
