There are fears an 88-year-old man punched to the ground outside his Sydney home may not be able to walk again without help.
Eric Johnson was standing on his balcony drinking a glass of milk last Friday night when a white van pulled up outside his home in the city's south.
The male driver got out and walked down the road leaving two girls, aged between eight and 12, sitting inside.
Mr Johnson went to check if the girls were OK.
The driver returned and became aggressive, police say, and punched Mr Johnson to the head outside his Oyster Bay home.
Mr Johnson, who is well known in his Sutherland Shire community, fell to the ground and ended up in hospital with a black eye and fractured pelvis.
The van sped off.
There are now concerns about 88-year-old Mr Johnson's ability to walk again.
"Any fracture of the pelvis is serious but based on Mr Johnson's age being 88, there are concerns in relation to his capabilities of being able to walk unaided again," Superintendent Julian Griffiths told AAP.
Police and Mr Johnson's grandson Dale Ross have urged the driver and any witnesses to come forward.
"(Mr Ross) just wants the other party to come forward," Supt Griffith said.
"I think he made reference to there being two sides to every story and they would like to hear the other side of that story."
Mr Ross believed his grandfather came from a different generation, where if he thought someone needed help he would reach out, Supt Griffiths said.
Family have flown from interstate to be by Mr Johnson's bedside in hospital.
"He is from a different era to us so the idea of a car stopping out the front, possibly someone in distress, naturally he would want to help," Dale Ross told reporters.
Share
