An elderly woman has been taken to Dunedin Hospital with "life-threatening'' head injuries after being hit by a ute in central Dunedin this afternoon.
Southern District Command Centre deployment co-ordinator Senior Sergeant Matt Scoles said it appeared the driver of the ute backed into the 78-year-old woman as she was crossing the road.
The street was cordoned off as police marked the scene and spoke to witnesses and the driver of the ute.
A witness told the Otago Daily Times the woman hit by the ute appeared unconscious when she was loaded in to a St John ambulance.